Prison School
by Rose Tsukiyomi
Summary: With her cousin and the other students recruited to the prestigious university, Ciel, the first born daughter of the Master Chief and Cortana, fight to reveal it's grim secrets behind it's glossy facade. But, is what they uncover more terrible then anyone ever imagined? And will she be able to protect those she loves most from those secrets? Rated M for fighting and bad language.
1. Chapter 1

Well, I'm sorry for the long wait for anything new in my stories. Life went to hell in a hand basket and I've been getting my butt kicked more way then one so I've sadly not had time to work on anything new or old, writing or editing. But the last week I've put my writer's block to some use and found one in my many stories I am pleased to believe is worthy of posting.

So I do hope that everyone enjoy's the insanity that is my imagination.

~ Rose

* * *

Well the day I've been waiting for is here. This prison of a university that I came to to put my higher then average curiosity and intellect to good use, over the brawn I've inherited from my father, turned out to be far more of a challenge than I figured. This school is hard to describe what it is. When the students can't even describe it beyond simply calling it a prison wearing the costume of a prestigious educational facility.

For the past 6 years of my life I have certainly proven to be the first born daughter of the famous Master Chief and my mother his former Ancilla partner - now human wife, Cortana.

I've become much like a beautiful mishmash of both my parents strengths while I've survived the tortures, abuse, and horrible treatment done not only to myself but to the other 'inmates' here. I usually get into trouble by standing up for them or protecting the others and using the school's shroud to my advantage when I want to get something going. They foolishly made me an admin of student activities and affairs so I've the responsibility to deal with every little god damn thing students may need, want or classes we want to add in to the school's course opportunity's.

An example of my use of power against them is by getting sports clubs, track teams, and other student clubs that are common in all the other competing schools, kept, added to the lists or equipment we need approved. They had no choice to accept the requests and do as I said because it would raise some unwanted interest having such an expensive school using such piss poor equipment and without even basic competing teams like soccer, hockey, football, archery, debate, chess, etc. In my time here I have gathered together similarly minded students to my cause to find out whats going on and fight back against the abuse and mistreatment's going on here. But we've been continuously stonewalled at every attempt despite having tried insurgent tactics from the rebellion before the human-covenant war.

We've used military tactics, public protests, handing out fliers, writing our families, and the list goes on until the entire student conglomerate was out of even the most ridiculous ideas. Yes, even streaking or nude protests was one idea to reveal the healing or healed scars on our bodies from our time in what they called 'detention reform' but those who have been there, call it the Hole.

Think it's a reinforced brig that I am certain even a fully armored Spartan 2 couldn't break out. And being just a slight bit stronger then my father, I tried when my cousin - Fred and Kelly's son was hurt and it fully blinded me with rage. I could only bend the nearly 3 inch thick metal plate that is not only the outer, protective covering for the door to the cell but covers a good portion of the wall. I did it, but not without damage to myself, having broken a couple bones in my hands and beaten much of the skin off my knuckles. It has been designed to be impenetrable. I sometimes wonder what or who these cells were originally intended for from how beautifully setup they are to hold a Spartan or someone of similar strength.

We have the best in the school, in their varying fields of computers, mechanics, stealth/infiltration, academia and so on. They are my closest team members and also the lot who share the dorm house I got assigned to when I arrived and had them either transferred in to, or assigned to, when they came here to the school with my administrative powers.

We've escalated our efforts steadily to reveal the going's on here even going so far to report things to the UNSC and ONI. But somehow the security of the school always stopped us before we could get our reports out and threw the offenders and organizers into The Hole for more 'reconditioning' - which in laymen's terms just simply torture. I did however manage to get a meeting with Captain Lasky of the UNSC Infinity when it was docked at this planet's spaceport but we were interrupted before I really got to tell him much, by a couple goons from the school dressed as ONI officers who sedated me and the next thing I knew I woke up in The Hole for a very rough and long stint.

"They've broken many of my ribs and shed a lot of my blood in these years here, but every drop was worth it." I think to myself grimly as I haul ass up the steps of the school to the inner courtyard with my close five, our makeshift armored suits and the rifle's we've procured from a few of the security personnel on our way here, balanced perfectly in our hands.

We've finally managed to get a specialized set of very compressed and encrypted files sent to specific people at UNSC HIGHCOM, my parents, my aunt and uncle, and some other key people to reveal what has been going on here with our rough plan that us kids are going to need some cavalry to execute our plan for revolt or pull our butts out of the deep fryer in case we're in over our heads and find out too late due to our relative inexperience with combat.


	2. Chapter 2

I give hand signals with the practised ease of my family to my comrades as we reach the open courtyard. My close friend Samuel drops to my 5 o'clock to cover my back while the others pair up, my cousin being the lead to take the outside while the other allies of ours and my parents are in various parts of the school helping students and following our rough plans.

Along with a surprising arrival; Sangheili allies who had fought alongside and against our parents in the war. I can hear my mother talking as I imagine her shaking her head telling me how I'm just like my father, recklessly running right into trouble as I work out plans as we go, just as I step out from under the overhead walkway at a quick jog with my partner hot on my heels before the security forces hidden in the area begin popping up and the gunfight begins.

Samuel and I haul ass despite being under heavy fire from various spots around us, our guns burping out short bursts aimed at those in front of us. As my cousin does an excellent job with the other sniper on our group to take the shooters up high while the others take down anything that shoots at us.

"Courtyard needs a cleanup crew." I state across our home made communications systems that my tech man, Mike, made along with the entire computer systems and anything electronic for our equipment.

"No extra holes to report." I joke across the COM to the adults and the other teams who lived in different dorms but now work on different directives through the school. My joke earns me some snickers from the others as my team packs up from their positions near the steps and follow after Sam and I quickly.

My team's directive is to get down to the main computer/electronics core that Mike has done his best guesswork and investigations on from energy consumption, heat output, coolant systems and other information on the types of computer systems required for what we suspect they used to keep us from exposing them must be located. Simply, we've called it "The Core Room".

"How're you doing, Yellow?" I question as Sam and I take up position on two sides of a set of doors which lead into the hallway which connects to the stairwell to the core room, there being a set of 8 teams in total with various different objectives. We use colors to differentiate the teams and numbers 1 – 8 for each team member, rather than names.

Yellow team's objective is the backup systems which they will have to take out seconds after we do the core room. The adults get to either follow one of our teams and provide us backup or we provide them backup or assistance depending on the mission directive.

I've, personally made sure my team is the Red team; since every team member have been _red flagged_ as all being big troublemakers by the faculty.

"Heh. Everything's gold here. FUCK YOU!" I hear the team's leader growl as he obviously continues a firefight in the background.

"Do you need backup? Blue team's not 2 hot little steps from you." I smile a bit as the rest of the team lines up behind Sam and I, patting our backs when they're in position safely.

"Nope. Level clear. Yellow 4 just got 150 points. Damn woman's up to 300 now. I'm looking like a newb." He snickers and I chuckle at his use of the old 'gamer' slang which we have unofficially adopted for our COM chatter.

"Then stop staring at her 6 and or smack it and get focused." I laugh hearing him chuckle.

"She sends her sentiments." he laughs as I chuckle amused.

"Alright. Let's rock!" I state on the open channel to all teams before I step out after hanging my gun's strap on my shoulder then hauls back with both my fists and punches the doors, cleaving them right off their hinges and throwing them far into the building as I let my momentum drop me on my belly. I pull my gun back up and begin firing as my team fires around the corners at varying levels, our two snipers laying down beside me and begin taking shots at the machine gun nest 150 feet down the hall.

After a short few seconds I get up and into a run down the hall firing my gun and throwing a couple concussion grenades down halls I pass, as my team files in taking down any 'bogies' as I run and jump in behind the machine gun then with a warcry, rips it off its base and opens fire as I turn around in a large sweep down the hall before my team catches up near me as I finish.

"I think I'm in love." Sam and I say at the same time, looking at the machine gun before cracking up laughing.

"Red 3 and 4, police weapons. 5 you get the ammo. 2, suit checks." I hand out the orders as I reload the machine gun, packing as many belts of the ammunition to this gun onto my suit as I can while the others jump into action. Sam begins checking our suit's and giving us a smack on the shoulder for the all clear signal before he returns to my 6 and I check his, tapping his lightly, to mind my strength.

"Isn't that a bit much?" I hear my cousin's mother, Kelly, question as her and my father arrive at the doorway in the civilian clothes they'd arrived here in, surveying our work. They both look at me as I stand there in the middle of the hallway with the machine gun resting on my shoulder easily.

"Aunt Kelly, any normal person seeing something like me running down the hall with this thing, let alone wielding it with ease buys us shock value. So. No. It's just right. Besides, size matters." I state causing my group to either snicker or double over laughing. Sam, who was sitting beside me with his rifle at the ready, facing down the hall doubles over laughing as I grin, though its hidden by the gold visor of my helmet.

"Alright. Break's over. Lets go pack some points on. Can't let Tex have all the fun." I state on my team's channel flipping the gun around and into my other hand with a smack before I lead the charge down the hall, giving short bursts from the machine gun to either kill or cause bogies to duck for my team or my father and aunt to mop up as we make our way through the maze of corridors. Until we come to the door that will lead us downstairs and I body slam it using all my forward momentum.

But to our surprise, especially mine! I just bounce right off like I'd been made of rubber and tumbles to the ground with the machine gun at my side as I lay on my back.

"Shit." Mike curses as I begin to get up, sorely rubbing my shoulder.

"You didn't even dent it..." Maria - Red 4, states, looking the door over as Sam shifts on his feet eagerly and I smile a bit to myself, hardly giving the door a glance over when I see Sam's delight.

"Everyone. Back around the corner. Let Red 2 at it." I state as the delighted grin can almost be seen right through his visor as I, one handed, picks up the machine gun as I turn and jogs back up the hall a ways with the others, causing my father and aunt to stop abruptly as the four of us jump around the corner. The two having fallen a good distance behind us.

"Didn't dent. Red 2's using plan B. If he can't get it open, we're stalled." I explain with a half glance to my father as I hold my 'new toy' in my hands at the ready, putting my back to the corner as I look back down the hall, watching Samuel's back as he sets up the explosives.

"Looks like thick titanium battle plate. But its on a weak track. I'm just gonna knock lightly." Sam explains over the COM as I smile in my helmet approvingly with a slight nod.

"Can't forget your manners, Red 2." I chuckle as I've my focus back on my aunt, signing for her to get back with the others when she steps too far out. I look back down the hall and without warning suddenly drops the gun with a dull thud to the concrete flooring before I suddenly charge down the hall.

"DOWN!" I order him as I charge down the hall then football tackles an individual that I know is not one of our Identified friendly's. I hit them with my shoulder in the stomach, lifting them off the ground a few feet as I take four more strides before I slam them down onto the flooring and initiates a hand to hand confrontation with them while Sam continues working after getting out of his crouched position when he sees what I'm doing. He quickly falls back while my aunt and father cover him while I continue fighting with the near invisible person.

"CLEAR!" Sam calls as the person lands a good punch on my chest plate, throwing me clear down the hall before my father snaps his hand onto my arm, dragging me with him as he dives for cover with the others just before Sam hit's the detonator. I cough a bit and groan as I shake my head as the bomb explodes loudly.

"That was dumb." My aunt taps my helmet as I begin to get up, biting back the sore pain in my chest where I'd been struck.

"Better then risking hitting Sam by opening fire and bought him time." I retort with a slight smirk as I subconsciously touch my chestplate before I rise to my feet.

"For what, Rookie?" I hear a woman's voice over our COM system state confidently as the smoke clears revealing a Spartan 4 standing there with two of her team.

"This is a restricted-" she begins but I lay my fist into her throat with all my strength that throws her into the far wall so hard she's knocked out cold. Her body doesn't have time to hit before I've already let my fury loose and begun to take on the others with my father who's spun about and taken one in a choke hold.

"FINISH THE MISSION!" I snarl through my helmets speakers as we keep the Spartan's busy.

"I hate being right." I grumble as my father throws the last one's unconscious form to the floor and we continue on to follow my team to the doorway.

"Those were machines." he corrects as I slip past him and take point in the narrow stairwell.

"Oh that's even better..." I curse. "APB rainbow crew from Red 1! We have confirmed UNSC SP 4's. Watch yourselves. Do not use lethal force unless that's all you got. Suspicious behaviour gives the impression they are not human inside. If someone can confirm, I'll really appreciate it." I state on an open channel to all our allies outside, hearing confirming pings from our other teams.

"They are not UNSC! Repeat! THEY ARE NOT UNSC!" Green 2 cries panicked over the channel, before I hear their voice begin gurgling before the COM dies abruptly with a crunch making me grit my teeth and pick up my pace.

"LEATHAL FORCE GREEN LIT! Kill those Bogies! 350 points per!" I state commandingly over the open channel hearing the other teams confirm in their various ways, but all suddenly grim and dead serious.

"Whats with the points anyways?" My aunt inquires as my father and I catch upto the group at the end of the hallway to find Mike trying to hack his way past an old steel door. But unlike my father, I don't stop running. I keep going forward and body slam's the door, knocking it clean out of the wall before I stride in with my gun up and ready.

"Sugar to help the medicine go down." I state through my gritted teeth, curtly explaining I've a sour taste in my mouth from what I'd just heard on the COM as Mike peeks around the corner surprised.

"O..r... We could do that..." He blinks shocked as Sam follows me inside the room wordless and dead serious as he checks around while the dust settles.

"Jeezus christ..." I state in sudden shock as the dust clears and I find myself facing a tube with a full grown man inside it floating unconscious in a neutral buoyancy fluid with a clear oxygen mask over his face and many tubes flowing liquids into his mostly naked body.

It is not so much the surprise of this not being a room of computer systems like we had expected, but who the man is.

"D...ad... The hell's going on?" I half look back at my father who's ice blue eyes are locked in shock upon a much younger clone of him floating in the tube in front of me unconscious.

"John... Its us..." I hear my aunt state in shock as she steps around the tube and looks at the other tubes scattered neatly about the room and I grit my teeth.

" _ **ABORT! EVERYONE ABOR**_ \- *Static* - " are the last words I get out before everyone on my team is hit by a massive burst of electricity through the flooring we're standing on, causing everyone to collapse to the floor.

I drop to one knee as the electricity hits me hard, causing my senses to swim but I can still see whats going on, albeit groggily. A large, nearly foot thick titanium plate comes down, sealing our escape. The sound of it slamming down turns my attention in that direction to see that Mike, is the only one still standing, unaffected, with his gun drawn.

He carefully aims his handgun down at Sam's helmet and flips the safety off, ready to fire and kill him. I let loose a sudden and very loud war cry as I charge, now fully enraged and takes Mike around the middle as some of the machines in the room train their guns on me then open fire with short bursts of non-lethal rounds.

But I hardly feel the rounds peppering my body. However I do feel an increasing heaviness as I continue forward, carrying Mike's helpless, stunned body in my arms. At least I keep going until I feel my arms just contact titanium plate, driving my full weight against his chest to crush him and draw out his last bloodcurdling scream before letting whats left of him and myself drop to the floor now that my bloodthirsty goal is complete.


	3. Chapter 3

Well. I think these three chapters will be all for now before I post more. Just to wet the appetite. And of course leave everyone off with a cliff hanger.

~ Enjoy! :)

* * *

Edit:  
Hello my readers! I am sorry for the gigantic blurbs of writing that may be hard to follow or read!  
I totally didn't expect them to be so big or hard to follow (they made my eyes cross trying to read them).  
So I am working on editing them to be easier to follow and enjoy the story line.  
So please bear with me while I try to get this done as quickly as possible.

Thank you!

* * *

"What a waste... A perfectly acceptable candidate.." I hear a man's voice grumble to himself as I begin to come to, seated up against the base of that first tank holding the younger version of my father.

"Hum... I remember something about my grandfather being in this same situation. Except this time _Spartan_ , your backup's not coming." The man about 5 years my senior (I'm 23) with short cut dark brown hair, wearing a grey and white business suit, spouts confidently with his hands nearly clasped behind his back.

"I'm not a Spartan." I snort as I hear the others of my team begin to wake up one by one, making their soreness and disorientation known by the sounds they are making.

"And don't try to move. I'd hate to have them wasted." he motions to a monitor that comes to life, revealing my father, aunt, uncle, and mother, unconscious in separate tubes just like the one's holding the cloned Spartan 2's. The former two looking like they've just been started to fill, while my uncle and aunt's are already filled to their waists with the blue gel like liquid.

"Thank you for bringing them to me." he states as I smirk a bit then jumps to my feet and charges, getting halfway to him before the collar around my neck that should've been preventing me from moving too much, hits me with a massive and debilitating electrical burst that drops me to the floor on my stomach, with my fingertips frustratingly only inches from the man's ankle.

"Tsk tsk tsk. Smart as you are... You really think I wouldn't know of your resistance to neural inhibitors?" he laughs curtly, walking around me perfectly calm, moving to stand behind me while the electricity continues flowing from the collar into my body to keep me down. I cry out in defiance and begin to rise, driving my shaking fist into the metal flooring to stabilize my shaking limbs.

It is a real struggle to push myself each quarter inch to get my shoulders off the decking 6 inches. I push through the pain, hearing my team's muses of shock at my attempt to get up despite the electricity flowing through my body and arching from the plates of my armor to the metal flooring around me.

But my vision is quickly filling with dark patches as I push through the debilitating tazer with the last ounces of strength I have in the hopes pushing through like this will push the device beyond it's limits and it'll overload before it knocks me out. But my patience and stubbornness is not enough and I collapse back down onto the decking when my idea to overload the tazer by making it shock me for this long. 

* * *

I don't know how much time has passed but what I do know is, my suit is gone, my body is showing me a new flavour of pain I've never experienced before from how far I pushed myself.

And worst of all I am alone, locked in an all too familiar _Hole_ cell in just my shorts and ragged tank top.

Over what I figure is the next few weeks of isolation I beat myself up emotionally as I sit unmoving with my back to the wall for some hours, having failed both my family and my teams miserably.

But I don't let the depression and anger stop me for long from continuing my usual workout routines that I always do when locked in here. I just push myself harder and longer, figuring I will break or get stronger and faster until something comes up as an escape option to fall back, regroup, and come back to rescue my family and any of my team mates still left here.

An idea crosses my mind to get a hold of dad's old armor on the third week of being locked up here. He's always worried it'd kill me, but right now, I'd rather die then not try to use it to rescue the people who've fought along side me in this hell hole of a school or to save my beloved family from a fate I am sure is worse then being locked in a cell like this one.

I think it's a Friday because something feels just... Friday-ish, as my morning tray of food is slid into the room.

"Enjoy, _freak_." the guard snarls as I suddenly snarl and growl like a rabid dog, having been sitting right by the slot just for this moment to scare the pants off him and give anyone else locked in the other cells who can hear, a good laugh. It works and he slams the door shut in a reflex of fear before pounding on the door angrily once with the butt of his fist.

"You bitch!" he hollers as I smile to myself as I move over to the tray and begins to eat the food slowly as I begin my all day workout, nap, shadowbox, nap, routine.

I'm just waking up from my second nap, beginning my pre-workout stretches when I hear (and feel) some faint thumps coming down the corridor at evenly spaced increments which I figure are the cell doors being blown off their moorings by explosives. I move right up to the front where I know the plating will be the thickest, readying myself for trouble as the distinctive thumps resound again much closer and my cell's door falls inward, flooding the room with light.

But I'm hardly caught off guard as I listen to someone step into the cell as I open my eyes, having secreted right up beside them ready to strike, but something familiar about them stops me.

"Shit!" they tense as I step back slightly looking at them then slips by them out into the hall wordlessly, getting pummelled by Maria and Sam who had been in the cells beside and across from mine. "We thought you were dead!" they cry as I catch them, stumbling back a few steps as they hug me enthusiastically, smiling slightly.

"I'm my father's daughter." I smirk dangerously as Sam looks at the bruises on my body in the light and is about to question them curiously as the team's leader of the _real_ Spartan 4's walks over and interrupts.

"Alright kids. We're leaving. Stay down and stay low." she orders as I smirk, picking two knives out of scars on my arms, ripping the old wounds open as a machine SP 4 steps into the main doorway to the cell block, confusing the lot of Spartan 4's, who've obviously never encountered them before now.

But don't wait to explain anything or for questions before I speed past the others, driving my knives into the machine's weak points and it into the opposing wall with my weight before it can get a single shot off.

"Now you see how we got caught. Lot's of tricks and surprises." Samuel states grimly, walking past one of the stunned group, checking the sidearm he pilfered from their belt without the soldier's notice as I stand up and drives my heel down, snapping the neck of the robot and also revealing the machine below the facade as the head rolls away with cords and machinery parts sparking and spilling lubricants out onto the floor.

"That's 350 for me." I smirk at him, flipping my knives about in my hands as Sam steps out into the hall with me, smiling along with the other students.

"350?" I hear one of the Spartan's finally question as they begin moving and Green 5 just grins as he picks up one of the dead prison guard's guns along with some of the others who silently begin moving to arm themselves or, if they're wounded go into the middle for protection or to help those who can't fight and some who can barely walk.

"Points." he begins as Maria falls into step with him.

"Team with the least..." she continues as Yellow 4 - Jackson, fans out, tossing me a rifle which I check the good functioning of.

"Buys the booze." he states as the others file out with the Spartan's.

"And the top team is the host with the most." I finish, hearing the muse of confidence in these youths standing with me.

"Lets go. I'm thirsty." I smirk at the others who also grin causing the Spartan's to half glance at one another confused or surprised as we take the lead before they can stop or question us.

With cohesive team-work between us and the Spartans, we take down their fake doppelgangers until we reach the last stretch and it oddly clears, allowing the remaining members of red team to take position in the courtyard with a few marines while our comrades load up before we follow suit. I stand on the back ramp of a pelican as it ascends, looking down at the school with grim seriousness written deeply into my face.

"I'll be coming to rescue everyone... I won't fail." I promise to myself silently before I turn on my heel and walks into the dropship as the ramp begins to rise and tosses my gun to Sam who stows it up top while I sit down heavily in a seat with my head in my hands.

"Hey, who's Ciel Hadrian?" I hear someone inquire seriously as they steps into the back from the front. I don't move as Maria pipes up calmly.

"Why?" she inquires as Sam sits down beside me, placing his hand comfortingly on my back.

"Don't give that game. The Captain wants to talk to her." Commander Palmer states grumpily and I rise to my feet after sitting up, shaking my previous problems for later digestion.

"Don't talk to my team mate like that, Palmer. They just went through hell. They, at least sympathize with how pissed I am right now." I growl looking right into her eyes with my father's same stoic seriousness. I watch as her jaw suddenly sets and she steps out of the doorway, motioning me to the COM panel where Captain Lasky's image is displayed.

"Captain. Is my father's old suit still held on the Infinity?" I question him suddenly with emotionless seriousness which causes him and some of those in the cockpit of the pelican to half look my way stunned as I step upto the control panel.

"Ciel, you're still too you-" he begins to protest but I narrow my eyes seriously, making him fall silent surprised and possibly intimidated.

"I am going to need to borrow it. Dad is going to need something to bust shit up with and I'm the right size to deliver." I explain grimly as he shifts, gritting his teeth as he thinks.

"I need an answer. Because I'm taking it one way or another. Graves had a grandson and he's the one behind this whole damn thing!" I smack my open palms on the table causing the entire ship to shake as I growl deeply, noting the sudden tension and alertness this causes on both vessels.

"He's been manufacturing clones of the entire Spartan 2 program. Fully augmented." I continue, looking at him seriously. "There's no way in hell anyone even with a suit can get past that many trained individuals without being one lucky bastard. But like someone said once: Nothing's impossible. I wouldn't be the Chief's kid if I couldn't pull a little impossible and a lot of luck outta thin air." I explain at first with grim facts before I smirk at him impishly.

"We will talk privately when you arrive." he states with finality before closing the channel and I growl, heading back to my seat. At least, that was the plan until Palmer steps into my path, stopping me.

"Why not leave this up to professionals?" she suggests sympathetically looking at me as I lift my head, looking at her with one of my eyebrows cocked curiously.

"And feed them more well trained people to make clones of? Or didn't you read the history files on how well Graves and the URF had the UNSC and ONI chasing their tails before the war with the Covenant? This one is better than the original. Far better." I state tensely, looking at her seriously as she puts her hands on her hips leaning closer to me.

"Then what makes you think you can succeed?" she snorts cynically as I smirk wryly.

"I made my father, aunt, and uncle show shock and take my 6 on the mission. That's why." I state seriously, looking her dead in the eyes as the Spartan's listening stare past Palmer to this relatively short 6 foot nothing, tenderized 20 something year old wearing nothing but ripped and torn up shorts and t-shirt.

"That's not good enough." she states and I nod, suddenly relaxing as I touch my head in a modest way as I half laugh and relax.

"Yeah. But worth shock value. Hell know's, I was. Seriously though. I've experience with Junior's tactics. You and your Spartan's don't. Fuck, I've lived 'em for six years. I'm not taking any one of your people with me because I'm only willing to spend my life, not anyone else's. And time is not on our side. So you wana stonewall me. Go ahead and try. I'm going down there in either a suit or I'll go in what I'm wearing." I state grimly as she looks down at me, hardly being phased when we pass into the hanger of the Infinity. But she shifts when we dock, relaxing and smirks slightly moving out of my way. But in such a way she precedes me into the back so I have to follow her as the back hatch unseals and begins to lower.

"I'm coming with you." Samuel stands beside me, falling into step with us on my 9 o'clock along with a couple others rise to their feet from their seats, musing agreement.

"They need to pay for what they did." the junior of us - Yellow 3, Sandra, says seriously and I pause slightly, looking at every one of my school mates as the others muse seriously in agreement, the last few getting up from their seats.

"Sam, brief the others. I don't want to take anyone with me because I expect this to be a one way trip. I'll decide yes or no on a team, after talking with the Captain." I order dryly as he nods, stopping at the end of the ramp as I fall back into step with Palmer, keeping pace with her the entire way to the bridge where we find not only the Captain but a couple Sangheili commanders, including my father's old... Uhm, _friend,_ Thel Vadam, otherwise known commonly as the Arbiter.

"So, going to give me my father's suit or what?" I state before anyone can ask questions, making Lasky exhale heavily.

"Ciel, I we can't risk you being killed by it. You're not trained to wear a powered suit." Lasky places his hands on the edge of the holotable as I walk up, past Palmer, ignoring her saluting him stepping into the light of the table a dead set seriousness on my face.

"You are right I'm not. I've never worn one. But I have natural augmentations that will prevent it from killing me unlike a normal human being. All I will need is fresh neural implants because mine are fried and some time to orient myself in the suit. But I'm fine going down in what I'm wearing too. All I need is a gun, ammo, and a couple grenades." I state with a slightly raised eyebrow as I stand at the opposite end of the table, looking at him with focused conviction but daring him to try and stop me.

I watch as he exhales heavily, standing back up straighter and deals with the still waiting Palmer, quite obviously thinking hard on my words and the whole situation.

"What did you find down there?" The Arbiter finally asks, breaking the tense silence and I exhale grimly, setting my jaw in the same manor as my father when the game's turned grim as I look to the much larger alien.

"Spartan 2 clones. Grown. Augmented, and ready to go by the looks of them." I state seriously, before looking up at him my worries obvious on my face as the other Shipmaster in silver armor tenses, another shifting closer to the table.

"How many?" the one questions and I look at all of them seriously.

"The entire class of 75. Possibly more." I answer curtly. Lasky turns to me as I suddenly have all of their undivided attentions and my point has been made crystal clear, something has to be done about this matter and right now without delay.


	4. Chapter 4

"They now have three original Spartan 2's to spawn as many copies as they need and Cortana to clone brains to reproduce her as an ancilla or worse." I state grimly, looking at Lasky but with my mother's slight defiant smirk telling I've a plan.

"He wants me. He's going to get what he asked for." I state seriously as I set my throwing knives on the top of the table, then slides them down to him, revealing they both contain compact data storage systems in their hilts.

"Video from my suit's helmet cam from our original mission. If of course you wana keep arguing that I can't handle my father's suit or have any doubts that video should clean up those doubts." I state as he looks at the blood marks they leave sliding across the holotable to him and I turn my forearms over with a smirk to reveal where I'd kept them hidden in my forearms by their long now clotted wounds on the undersides.

"Can't remove what you don't know is there. I suspected a leak in my allies somewhere. So I installed the camera and had it upload remotely to those data crystals through fibre optic cables linked to my implants." I state as he picks the knives up and hands them to a soldier, ordering them to play the data on them.

"You're going to get those treated right?" he questions more a suggestion then actual question as I grin at him, but still stubbornly focused on my goal to attain my father's suit.

"Right after you give me the okay to use Dad's suit." I state as an encryption code shows up over the holotable and I type in the passcodes before the red text turns blue and fades away to reveal the beginning of the mission, when I put the suit's helmet on and the link is made with my former implants.

"Does this make my butt look big?" Sam jokes as the camera turns to him, showing him focusing on his rear as the teams laugh in the background, obviously getting ready in the dorms for the adult's to arrive and assist us on our previous mission that got my family captured.

"No. Your butt makes your butt look big." My voice answers jovially while each of us continues getting armed, looking less like university students and more like hardened marines getting ready for a mission, despite our jovial banter as we begin going over the point rules.

"Oh boy. We're boned... I don't have enough CR's for how much Red 1 can put away..." A now dead man's voice whines through the TEAMCOM - Green 2, making many others laugh, including me on the video. I go over the team's makeup after my short chuckle having them as a team recite their missions one last time before my team also does the same and we gather together for a final pep talk before splitting up and the missions begin, leaving the adults to try and catch up with the teams they had agreed to assist.

It rolls through every instant of Red Team's mission. It shows in far more detail then I remember and even saw with my own eyes how my boot levels a solid steel door, earning me some sideways glances as it goes on, even playing the moments of my team and family's capture that I wasn't conscious for. Right up to the last moments when I was being electrocuted and beginning to rise up, despite the electricity coursing through my body.

But the camera dies just as my body suddenly loses tension in the video and I look up at Lasky with a "Weeeell? Gonna keep arguing?" kind of questioning look.

"Impressive..." I hear The Arbiter muse to himself quietly in thought, as the younger of the two Sangheili with him stare's at me utterly stunned.

"How is that possible!? No human... Nothing could do that.." he trails off in disbelief and I grin impishly.

"Now you glad we're still not trying to kill one another?" I challenge as the younger sangheili tenses and I think I almost catch an amused smirk on The Arbiter's face before Lasky speaks up.

"Prep the Mark 6. Palmer, take Ciel to the infirmary and get her patched up. You've got a new student to teach how to use a powered suit in the next hour. Seems we've got a new contender for the Master Chief's title." he smirks and I smile, relaxing somewhat.

"Bring yourself and them back in one piece, Ciel." He advises encouraginly and I nod confidently.

"I guarantee nothing. Except when it comes to pieces. I'll be in them, before my family." I state with honest protectiveness before I turn on my heel and follows Palmer out of the room, yelping when Sam gloms onto me the moment I step out into the hall.

"PERVERT!" I scold, ungluing him from me with a curt shove, but he's still got a self satisfied grin on his face when he stops sliding backwards, having grabbed my ass when he hugged me.

"Jeez! Okay whats the news?" I exhale at him wearily.

"I've got a team picked out. And Sol has a plan, from your video footage." he states as we stand outside the still open door and I aim a thumb to Lasky.

"Go for it. You'll have to explain anyways how you saw it being played on secure systems..." I pat him on the back as I see Lasky cross his arms trying to be serious despite the twinkle of amusement in his eyes.

"Next gen of reckless and crazy soldiers for ya. If my family didn't threaten to kick my ass if I enlisted." I laugh as I look in at him, shoving Samuel into the room before he can protest, but I see him gulp slightly, steadying himself before the door closes and I jog after Palmer, starting the longest two hours of my life as we go to the infirmary and I get fitted with new neural implants compatible with Dad's old suit as well as get suited into it.

Then she trains me how to move in it while many other Spartan 4's watch from the sidelines, muttering to themselves. Especially on how quickly I pick up moving in it. After getting some equipment and weapons I report back to Lasky on the bridge where Sam and the rest of the five student team he's chosen wait, adjusting their standard issue ODST battle gear, but even they stop dead when I walk into the room in my father's suit and stops at the end of the table, removing the helmet.

"Sounds like a solid plan your team has come up with." Lasky states thoughtfully, looking over some information on a tablet he'd been handed by one of the bridge crew and I nod knowingly.

"Yes. Roland briefed me on it on the way up here, Sir." I state dryly, ignoring the stares I'm getting from not only my team but the Sangheili on the bridge and the crew.

"Ciel... That suit..." Solomon begins surprised as Sam smiles proudly. "Suits you." he finishes, the others musing surprised agreement and I nod to acknowledge their words or musings.

"I've also been briefed on my team's equipment list and the other details of the mission, Sir. We're going to need to know what your orders are about the clones and the rest of whatever is down there. Intact or blow it to hell?" I question just as the door opens and another person wearing a higher mark of MJOLNIR strides into the room, snapping a crisp salute.

"Sir. Lieutenant Commander Kurt Ambrose, reporting." an aged man's voice snaps with such sharpness it reminds me of a whip as Lasky returns the salute.

"Your team is complete and briefed, Ciel. Try not to be like your father and destroy too much. I have a feeling ONI may want to investigate this facility further." Lasky advises humorously and I smile gently.

"Thank you sir. I'll see what I can do. But I'm not the one to worry about. You gave him the explosives." I aim a thumb at Sam who straightens up suddenly, pretending to be innocent that makes me smirk amused.

"Alright. Lets move Red team. We've got some points to put on the board." I state as they all suddenly snap to, turning on their heels after politely nodding to Lasky and the Sangheili before walking out into the hall as I slip my father's helmet back on and nods politely as well before I turn on my heel and follows my fellow students, patting the Lt Commander on the shoulder as I pass. "Good to have you on the team, Uncle Kurt." I state over our TEAMCOM, feeling him slip into the quick paced walk just behind me as I follow my team down to the hanger where we load up into a pelican to begin the mission to save my family and finally bring down that school once and for all.


	5. Chapter 5

Red 4 - Harris, excitedly jogs up to the cockpit of the pelican as we groan and the others strap in worriedly as I walk up to the front with my Uncle as Harris hops into the pilot's seat and quickly begins prepping the ship to leave.

"Dare I ask how he knows how to fly this thing?" he asks privately and I chuckle unconcerned.

"His dad was a pelican pilot for a police force on Earth. He grew up around them and learned to fly them from a young age." I explain as I strap into the gunner's seat, thumbing my Uncle to take the Co-pilot's position.

"So whats this _"points on the board"_ you spoke of earlier?" he asks over the TEAMCOM as Harris surprises him with how well he can fly the pelican as he goes through the start up and takes us out of the Infinity, taking us down to the school. Despite his relative young age he turns out to be an excellent pilot.

"It's a drinking game when we play first person shooter games or go paint balling. The team to get the most quality kills gets higher points and the other team or teams, buy a round of drinks that night for the winners." Maria begins to explain.

"Equipment check. We're getting close." I cut in before Sam continues the explanation as they set to work to do as I've ordered, methodically and with practised ease.

"But we're playing against one another so the person with the highest kill ratio gets a drink from each of the loser's. But whoever gets the idol, worth 5k, gets one from all of us. We've a bet going on who of the... Ahem, _Spartan's_ , is gonna get the idol or the most points." Sam finishes and I chuckle.

"Oh boy. I'm gonna get my ass handed to me." I joke as I unstrap from the gunner's chair, heading into the back and each of the team loads a med kit along with their equipment and I store extra can's of Bio foam on my suit because I'd rather have them in case of serious problems that might pop up now that Jr Graves knows we will be coming back and have more traps set, which will mean higher chances of any one of the team being injured.

"It's something that makes this murdering of other people go down easier for us, Uncle. If we think of them as nothing more then video game characters shooting lethal rounds at us. It will help stop any one of us from hesitating and costing any one's life or a whole team to get wiped out by treating this as just another paint ball game, except we keep in mind these paint ball's may mean game over permanently if we get hit." I explain as Harris gives the 1 minute warning and my uncle steps into the back with us, pausing when he sees each of us checking over our chosen weapons.

I chuckle a bit when Maria puts on rock music to play in the background of our TEAMCOM - our usual for when we work together on 'games' like this.

"Good one, Red 3." I compliment as I walk to the back with a MA5 series assault rifle in my hands and ready for use as I hit the button to begin lowering the ramp.

"I'm picking up lots of chatter between the bots and command. They know we're here. They're going to wait till we're down and in tight quarters before hitting us hard and fast so watch yourselves." I read off as the team suddenly turns serious and rises to their feet, holding onto the handholds above their seats, confirming the warning with single blinks of their green status lights to the surprise of my uncle that we'd be using such a familiar use of the status lights as he and his classmates first used and I'd learned about when I was young and have put to good use while leading the rebellion here.

"Red 2, you're on my six. Red 6 (Kurt), you're on the outside team while we do what we do best and stir the pot." I hand out the orders.

"This sounds familiar." Maria laughs cynically, causing a few of us to snicker.

"Hey imma creature of habit." I wave my hand in the air slightly as a round pings off my armor just before the pelican touches down, causing all of us, except me, to drop low.

"Get down!" Uncle Kurt orders as another round bounces off my helmet harmlessly.

"Green lit." Sandra states with an unusual coldness and I step aside casually, clearing her surprise for the person shooting at me that she's our sniper. And from how quickly she cycles the rounds out, dropping many people from their hidden and semi-hidden locations, damn good at it too.

"Even your father wouldn't do that..." My uncle exhales as she gives the all clear and I activate the suit's shields before stepping off with the rifle leveled.

"I'm not him. I'm his daughter." I state with a smirk as the whole team begin the run to the building, but veer off at the last second and take the outside route as Sam lobs two grenades into a set of windows on the ground floor, clearing those rooms for my Uncle and I to leap through and dead check anything inside with our knives or boots, trying to conserve ammo as the others slide in behind us when I give the green light.

We make our way down a back route Maria had doubled checked for us would be viable, but that requires a lot from my Uncle and I while the others follow behind us, mopping up any surprises.

"Am I the only one getting the feeling this is a trap? _Again_?" I question with feigned nervousness, panting a bit as I finish off the Mechanical SP 4 I'd gotten into a fistfight with, by ripping their head clean off.

"There's gotta be an easier way then walking right into his hands again like he wants us too." Samuel pants as he slides up beside me while I rest at the corner of our hallway catching my breath as I keep a wary eye out for surprises.

"Ain't like you to question yourself." He nudges me and I half look to my uncle with a slight raised eyebrow hopefully.

"Throw me a bone here. Dad and Uncle Fred talked about how you were damn near a walking radar for traps." I state over a private channel as he pauses along the wall with us.

"Oh its a trap. But there's not much we can do except push on. Knowing it's a trap gives us an edge." he states and I grit my teeth concerned.

"I don't underestimate hi...! Uncle. There a way to get around the bends?" I look at him fully alert as an idea hits me, and to his credit it takes him a short few seconds to get my reference to the mission he was on with my father, uncle Fred, and the rest of blue team against the original Graves.

"No... Why?" he states grimly and I smirk, knowing its feigned by his posture. I'm thankful for his experience meshing with my team's caution that he's not willing to say anything sensitive like this over our COM's just in case they are compromised.

"Goodie. If I'm right, the past is gonna be doomed to repeat." I state through gritted teeth as I step out with my rifle levelled but stops dead surprised.

"Fuck." I curse before beginning to jump upwards as a cannonball flies down the hallway and just under my legs before Sam and my uncle step out, firing on those handling the cannon as I land on my feet, taking off at a sprint, firing as I run for the cannon's operators. I get within a few feet and realizes too late my mistake.

"BOMB!" I bark the warning over the TEAMCOM just as I drop on my belly covering my helmet as the bomb begins to glow and my uncle tackles Sam into another room while the others dive into one on the other side of the hall just as it detonates, taking most of the floor and building along with it.

"Ciel!" I hear Sam's voice cry emotionally, dragging me from the dark to the throbbing in my head a few seconds later.

"Oh, I'm fine. Just hanging around..." I answer sorely over the TEAMCOM as I slowly begin to get myself oriented to how I've survived and what's happening now. I look around to find I'm hanging from some mangled rebar my foot got tangled in as I fell, two floors down from them.

"YOU IDIOT!" He scolds worried as I look back up at them with a wave of my fingers.

"That's lucky Idiot to you bub." I shoot back as I double myself over and begins to untangle my foot as the team carefully jumps down to my level and I jump down to the final floor where I wait for them to join me after I make sure it's clear, signalling as much with my hands.

"Well... This speeds things up a bit... I guess." I state surprised as I pickup the pieces of my assault rifle that had dropped from my suit and down the whole way.

"Well... It's slagged." I exhale, taking the magazine out of it and hands it to my uncle when he lands just off to my left before I pull out two knives from my suit and flips them around in my fingers like I'd been taught by Uncle Fred.

"Hold it one second, suit check.." he states and I pause a moment half looking at him but follows his direction calmly to let him look the suit over.

"So there's some more scratches and dents..." I verbally shrug before he exhales tiredly.

"I coulda sworn you were toast." Sandra states surprised and I smile, holding up an old shielding bubble that were used commonly during the war.

"Toasted. Not fried." I touch her shoulder gently as a motion of comfort before I toss the spent object away down the hall, bouncing it off something unusual that causes everyone of us (who has guns) to open fire as I tuck the knives back, pulling a grenade off my belt and lobs it down the hall, before my uncle and I take up position in front to give the team the protection of our shields when it explodes causing bits and pieces of machinery to fly by or bounce off our shields.

"Everyone, we just leveled up to legendary difficulty. Adjust weapons and points accordingly." I state, drawing the knives as I take off to buy them time to switch out their regular ammunition as I engage the group of ten machines that uncloak down the hall from our group, taking two down before Sandra begins popping their heads like balloons at the fair until they're all down and I pickup a dropped gun from one of them, tucking a spare over my back along with the spare ammunition onto my belt as the team catches up and we move on together wordlessly but I spare an approving nod to Sandy, honestly quite thankful for her being here.

"Lucky broad. Shotguns are always good poppers for bogies." Sam whines, causing us to snicker as Maria reads off the score thus far, revealing my uncle and I are not top dogs but being beaten by Sandra's head-shots on those ten machines some ways back, which are worth more points.

"God damn. Sam, remind me to stay on her good side. Especially when she's got a long gun." I joke, hearing her giggle merrily as a few of the others snicker, except Sam who's silent. I half glance behind us and stops dead when I see he's got one of the machines holding him in a tight hold, preventing him from speaking or breaking free.

"I wouldn't." a man's voice suddenly warns confidently over a PA system in the hallway as another fake SP 4 aims a gun at Sam's head as their camouflage fades away and I grit my teeth.

"You wouldn't do a lot of things. Like study history. Spartans beat your grandfather, and they're gonna beat you." I crack my knuckles as I shift my footing, secreting two knives from my gauntlets then suddenly throws them as Sandra opens up on the machines, popping the arms clean off the one holding Sam while my knives fly in and jam the action of the gun being held on him before the whole team opens up on them once Sam drops and covers himself behind some rubble.

"You okay Sam?" I inquire offering my hand after I walk to him, watching him look up, obviously upset with himself for getting caught like that but he takes my hand and lets me help him up.

"Yeah." he grumbles somewhat hoarse, but definitely scolding himself for being caught like that.

"Hey. Isn't that what knights do? Save damsels in distress?" I pat his shoulder comfortingly, getting a slight smile out of him by the joke as we begin jogging to catch up with our team.

"Oh I'm gonna kick your ass for that one later..." he smiles slightly, checking his gun as we jog to catch up.

"Well this looks mighty familiar." Jackson states, looking at the steel door that, last time, lead to the room with all the clones.

"Oh yay. Finally. Something I get to test this suit out on." I state as I cautiously step out, looking around warily before I walk up and boots the door in, sending it flying into the room before I stop and exhales frustratedly when I see the sick surprise waiting on the other side, having easily avoided the flying door by sidestepping it as it flew past harmlessly to crash against an empty tank.

"Now what will you do? You can't exactly hurt your own precious family." the young Graves' voice taunts as the doorway reveals my aunt, uncle, and father have been fitted with some kind of strange metallic devices sunk into their their spine, limbs, and into their necks, making them his puppets and from the groggy look in my father's eyes, he's somewhat conscious to what is going on. But there is no telling how much he is aware, if at all.

"You are wrong there. You see, Graves. I'm going to hand your lovely little rear over to ONI. And if it means putting some lumps on my family to do so, so be it." I state through the external speakers in my helmet as I step through the door and catches the titanium plate as he releases it, dropping me to my knees with a grunt.

"Oh, my. You are going to make a beautiful addition to my puppets, Ciel Hadrian. You see, this is what my grandfather wanted your predecessors for. Turn the UNSC's best and strongest against them." he taunts as my uncle's fingers wrap around the bottom of the plate and begins to help me lift it and take the massive strain off the suit I am wearing just as the other adults begin to slowly close in as my team quickly slips by me into the room.

"Get out of the way! Follow the plan!" I order them as I rise to my feet with a defiant cry, pushing the suit hard as I slowly rise to my feet to make the gap big enough for my uncle to get through.

"Keep them safe." I order him sternly as he silently nods grimly after looking his siblings over obviously upset seeing them like this before jumping into action to protect our team from a sudden attack from my aunt and uncle as they try to slip by the two of us, throwing them back into my father which knocks him back some steps as I jump out of the way, avoiding being caught under the plate as it comes down with the same thunderous rumble, sealing the door behind us.

"Ciel! You can't be serious! You'd kill them in that suit!" I hear my mother's voice cry worriedly from the empty tank she's securely sealed within, pounding her fists on the tube impotently as

I exhale, making sure to keep a distance between myself and the three much older and more experienced fighters who are in the process of reorienting themselves, looking at me.

"Mom. Please don't state the obvious!" I complain concerned as I carefully take in every subtle movement my elders make while they begin to fan out to back me into a corner or cut off any escape routes I might take.

"How about give me the run down on what you know about that the hell's controlling them and how to disable it..." I suggest as I use my scanners to reposition myself with my back against the plate blocking the door but being wary not to touch it in case it could be used as a giant tazer like the flooring last time or worse this time.

"I don't know. I've never seen or even read about anything like this." she states with apparent sincerity and I scoff sourly.

"That's not my mom. She's always going on about some new tech or something she's read up on. Being human did nothing for her insatiable curiosity to learn or know things." I state confidently as I hear Graves Junior's voice laugh with delight over the PA.

"And here I thought you weren't the type to pay attention that closely to your parents." he snorts as the three adults suddenly spring into action, causing me to use the suit to jump up far above their reach and flip, shoving them into the plate to knock them off their footing and give me time to back up and continue stalling in the hopes my team can complete the mission quickly.

I find out quickly that I have miscalculated how quickly they can recover as I see my mother fall unconscious in the tube like she had been when I last saw her. Before my feet even get to fully land on the decking I have them kicked out from under me and I get jumped on by the three of my seniors as they work to quickly do something to the suit but I sweep them off and flip onto my feet using various swipes of my legs and arms.

"Will you lot hurry the hell up!" I grunt over my TEAMCOM sourly before winding up being backed up by my father's rushing attack trying to grapple with me as my aunt and uncle circle around to get in behind me.

"Sorry, we met resistance.. And another door we could use you to boot in." I hear Maria answer through gritted teeth, despite her attempt at humour.

"Yeah. Right now I'd love to kick all the doors you – FUCK! Want... Than be doing this right now." I grumble, ducking all three of them and backing up into one of the tanks with a slight bump.

"Hey Roland. I'm sending you some picks in a jiffy. Get me some intel on what the hell I'm dealing with please." I demand before I manage to throw my aunt and uncle down before I spin about on my heel, tucks myself down then charges my father, taking him around the middle with my shoulder, lifts him up and carries him away from my aunt and uncle laying on the decking before dropping him down onto his back with a hard slam (though comparably very gentle with the suit's imparted strength) in the hopes to stun him long enough to complete the pictures. And of course, hopefully before my aunt and uncle recover to attack me again. I quickly flip him over and rips the back of his shirt open to get full shots of the odd metallic spidering metal pieces that're obviously attached somehow to his body, controlling him.

"I'll see what I can do. This really isn't my speciality." he admits as I am forced to jump away from my father when I feel my grip on him slipping as he begins to recover a lot quicker then I figured he would after how roughly I'd just treated him.

"I'll keep trying to figure this BS out before they get a real grip on me. Despite being old, they still pack a wallop." I grumble, grunting when I get struck by my uncle Fredric so hard it sends me skidding quite a few feet backwards before I can rise fully to my feet and get away from my father.

"Shit. I can't fight them like this and it is too risky to strip the suit off." I think quickly to myself as I surveil my father, sorely getting to his feet as my aunt stands silent guard by him, keeping her eyes out for my team and one eye on me warily.

"Well I always thought it'd be strange to be an AI again." I hear my mother's voice speak in my ears, nearly making me jump but I resist the motion as I duck and weave through a furious series of blows my uncle uses to keep me backing up away from my father and aunt, on the defense.

"I could sure use the help." I exhale as I narrowly dodge a left hook from my uncle that would have undoubtedly certainly rung my bell or gave it one hell of a shake, but done who knows what damage to his fist hitting the helmet unprotected.

"Alright, command console. Over there and I'll directly upload into your suit." she directs and I laugh cynically under my breath.

"Sorry, but you are gonna explain remotely how the hell I can disable them. Sedatives or knocking them senseless wont work because whatever that machine is, has control of their bodies. And frankly. If that can be done to them, its not too hard to have an AI programming perverted certain ways as well. Being the famous Cortana or not." I explain dryly, ducking my father as he somehow gets past my awareness to slip up behind me.

But in my attempt to duck out from between the two men, I run smack into my aunt who gets an arm around my torso, pulling a move that only screams to her continued flexibility and agility despite her age as she uses my forward momentum to throw me into the wall behind her rather hard.

"We're into the target room, but its empty." I hear Sam's voice suddenly cut through the tension and I exhale frustratedly.

"Red 6, use a short jolt from your suit's mod(-ification) and be sure." I order before grunting again when I get hammered on by both men for a few good seconds before I can manage to slip out before either of the three can get me into a secure hold.

"Will do.. Gimme us a minute, we're still trying to find everyone... A walkway gave out and some of the team got separated." Maria advises over our TEAMCOM to my concern, but I'm a little too busy trying to keep my family from kicking my ass to really worry about the others, comforted though by the knowledge that my Uncle Kurt is there and will be able to help them.

"Alright alright. I see your point." my mother's AI touches her forehead, seeming to chastise herself for the obvious error, before she goes into a long explanation about the systems being used to control their bodies, while an arrow pops up on my HUD map showing Graves' location, the locations of my team, right along with other relevant information.

"So an inhibitor collar would theoretically work?...!" I blink shocked that something Graves Jr so favoured could be his own undoing. My mother pauses a moment seeming to be working on many things at once before looking at me.

"I've located a store of them and painted it on your HUD. I've shut down the activation count down on the clone tanks and you've backup heading down to this level." she reads off in the matter of fact manor I've come to know from her in situations where it's been required.

"What about you. I may be able to disable.. Gack!" I begin to say but my father gets a secure arm lock around my neck as my aunt and uncle close in quickly after I managed to send them skidding or tumbling away from me. I spot two glints of metal in my uncle's hands that I recognize as knives and I grit my teeth as my father tightens up on my neck, making spots begin to appear in my vision.

But I wait, impatiently for the right moment to spring. I wait until my aunt and uncle are close then surprises them by producing two inhibitor collars which I snap into place and remotely activate which drops them to the ground immobile at my feet then grabs my father by his hip and shoulder as I suddenly drop my weight, swings him around myself and body slams him down into the decking, snapping the third onto him before I fall back on my butt with a sore rub of my throat as I cough and wheeze.

"Anyways what about you?" I finish my words, half looking at my mother's unconscious body in the tank.

"Those systems would've interfered with the brain scans so he couldn't use them until after the scanning was complete." she explains knowledgeably while I recover from my father's tight choke hold.

"Oh. Okay." I state as I roll onto my feet and walks over to the tube, shifting to break it open but pauses just as I draw my fist back.

"Uh, Mom. Don't tell me there's any surprises I need know about you... Are there?" I half look at her cautiously and watches as a laugh forms on her face before she shakes her head with a laugh.

"No dear. Perfectly human." she answers and I exhale relieved before punching the glass and pulls her out, putting simple restraints onto her wrists and ankles before I carry her and the others of my family to a safe and covered location in case the backup she mentioned decides to blow that titanium door down without warning.

"I've got to admit, you've got your father's luck." she shifts, crossing her arms over her chest as I walk over to the console she is 'standing' on the keyboard of.

"Well couldn't get just my good looks from you both. I had to get something else." I joke, offering my hand to her, hearing her laugh.

"Definitely my attitude and your fathers wit as well." she smiles pleased before stepping onto my glove and disappears into the suit just as a high powered round tears through the weak point of the armor on my left shoulder, making me duck for cover with a gasp of pain surprised.

"Jeezus fucking hell man. Is this what a day at the office was for you two?" I complain with reference to when my mother was the AI helping my father during the war with the Covenant. I hear her snicker a bit as I grumble getting my rifle ready, ignoring the throbbing pain in my shoulder.

"Oh yes. Sometimes far worse." she states as I rise up and steps out, firing back at the machine that shot me and pops it's head off in a shower of sparks.

"Whoo... 350." I whirl my finger in the air very unenthusiastically before I sit down on the floor with my legs crossed tiredly.

"Sounds like you and your team have quite the party going on down there. I thought I'd let you know the conspirators have been apprehended by The Swords of Sanghelios and are being brought to the Infinity." I hear Captain Lasky state jovially over a COM channel to myself and my team.

"Graves too?" I hear Sandra ask as her sniper rifle cracks rhythmically in the background, making me think about how oddly soothing the sound is.

"You've a good bunch there. I can see why he'd be interested in weakening the strong of the next generation so nothing would stand against him." My mother muses in my ears appreciatively as Lasky confirms _junior_ is amongst them.

"GOD DAMN! That means we owe onna them a round?!" I hear Jackson cry out whining making the rest of the team crack up laughing.

"Well that's upto them if they'd participate in childish drinking games like ours. But I welcome the idea. Right after we get my parents, my aunt, and uncle back to the Infinity to get whatever's stuck to them, off, safely." I exhale before beginning to get to my feet sorely.

"Sounds like a plan." I hear my uncle say over the external speakers of his helmet and I smile a bit as they walk back into the room.

"Hey you. Take that off." Sam walks over and taps my helmet as the rest of our team filters in and look around the room and over to the five of us curiously.

"Still an unsecured zone. Can't do it shorty." I pat his helmet teasingly as I get to my feet then I walk over to the titanium door that'd originally blocked us in and begins to drive my fists into the wall to make slight alcoves which I use to climb up, motioning for them to clear out.

"Oh great... Didn't the Captain say something about not busting the place up too bad." I hear Harris finally complain as three of them struggle to heft my father onto their shoulders, while Sam and Maria get my uncle up while my uncle Kurt chuckles at the three trying to heft my father and takes my father from them.

"You know he's going to be sore as hell from being thrown around like that." he warns as I dig in and begin to heave on the heavy plate to pry it out at the top once I get up there, just enough for me to stuff a grenade into the gap, planting about six more, using bits of rebar I'd kept to stop it from crushing them before I jump off, stringing detonation cords along with me as I high tail it to cover with everyone else.

"Well then, Uncle. I guess he shouldnt'a taught me to fight so good. Otherwise I would've never learned his weak spots." I point out jokingly before I signal for everyone to cover before I blow the grenades and the force throws the door down with a thunderous boom.

"She does make a point." Sam grunts struggling with my aunt's weight before I walk over and takes her from him, letting him go over to help carry my uncle as we make our way out to our pelican where a crew of marines are waiting patiently and stare somewhat stunned as we carry the four onto the dropship where we neatly lay them on the decking beside one another.

I sit down at the end nearest the cockpit and my uncle Kurt passes by, going right up to the front as Maria tends my mother's unconscious form after laying a blanket over her mindfully.

"And despite it all. That was fun." I shake my head before I lean back in the seat, muttering to myself. "What'll be more fun, is breaking that little rodent's jaw." I mutter to myself sourly as I think about all Graves junior has done. But I force myself to relax before closing my eyes to meditate and come down from the high of adrenaline from the whole mission while the marines and my team get settled in slowly.

"Now what kind of language is that for you to use." my mother's voice scolds in my ears, though its not serious, more like she's nagging me.

"The kind that's kept me sane for six years in this shithole. Or maybe not. To like that kind of exercise and the shit I just went through I've gotta wonder if some of my marbles haven't been cracked, broken, or lost entirely." I admit in my helmet as my mother's voice coo's in my ears sympathetically with understanding while the ship begins to take off once the last person is on board and the ramp begins to seal.

"Talk to your father about combat, after he's healed." she laughs a bit to herself and I laugh too.

"Hell no! I ain't getting near him when he's well enough to throttle me for putting his armor on. I know that's always been a bone of contention for him." I state, feeling a knock on my helmet.

"Yes, Sam?" I question, seeing his hand motion for me to take the helmet off while the others are occupied with other things so, not paying close attention to us. I shift in the seat and pulls the helmet up and off my head about to grumble at him as I situp fully and I look over at him I find myself staring down the barrel of his handgun while he smiles placidly down at me.

"Sort of funny how things work out." he states just before I instinctively whip my hand out like a cobra strike. Wrapping my fingers around his wrist, without minding my strength.

I crush his wrist holding the gun, so it drops harmlessly to the decking at my feet then flicks my wrist, throwing him right into the sealed ramp of the pelican.

The force of impact knocks him senseless while the others, who had spotted the situation stunned and been tensely waiting to engage, jump on and put restraints on him before packing him into a seat while I scratch my head, looking at him puzzled as the others get him secured and begin mending his bloody forearm so he wont bleed out.

"Yup. Definitely gonna be onna those days." I exhale grumpily, letting my head lull back as I close my eyes tiredly, leaving the handgun on the flooring where it fell beside my foot with the small amount of blood from Sam's wrist and lower forearm I'd crushed.

* * *

Ooooh! What could this mean?! Sam... The enemy!? Was Sam the traitor the whole time and Mike found out somehow and tried to kill him which Ciel mistook as Mike being the traitor at the end of chapter 2? Or was Mike really a traitor and Sam too?!

I might just reveal the truth in the next chapter. You'll just have to hold onto your seats and wait till then. ;)

I also made this chapter extra long to make the wait a little more worth it. So enjoy.


	6. Chapter 6

Nearly two days later, I'm finally let out of the infirmary after the doctor had repaired my shoulder. I'd been sent to go through a mental fitness evaluation and at the end been found to be quirky. But sane, despite what happened and been done to me these past years.

I step into the hall after the evaluation has finally ended to find the remaining members of Red team and many of the other surviving students who worked closely with me on the school rebellion waiting outside for me.

"So, doc say you can drink yet?" Maria asks carefully, obviously trying to be sympathetic and I smile at her warmly.

"Yeah. Hell knows I could use it. Who woulda known Sam was a perverted clone of the original meant to get close to me to kill me." I shake my head as I fall into step with them as they begin moving down the hall away from the office I just came out of with my left forearm resting 'comfortably' in a sling. Though its frustrating as hell having my entire left arm out of commission like this.

"Hey, you shouldn't beat yourself up for what happened." Solomon puts his hand on my right shoulder comfortingly and I smile slightly.

"I don't. I hold those who made him, and that school, responsible for the lives that were lost or irreversibly changed. Some for the worse, others the better." I state before looking at him as a slight smile creeps across my face. "And hey. I have a greater respect for the people who fought the war and why the Covenant called Spartan's, demons. That suit of my dad's is some piece of machine." I state with delight before we're not too far out of earshot of my recovering family in the infirmary we've just passed.

I never find out what my mother who's sitting beside my father as he's stuck recovering in bed from being so roughly thrown about (and grumpy as hell about it), says to him about it, but it must be something private to them, because I hear mom squeak and laugh somewhat.

My team and I go to the ship's general use lounge chatting amongst ourselves about our kills and the whole fight at the school.

"Haha! I woulda paid to see your face when you bounced off that titanium door." Sol laughs and I groan.

"Oh god that sucked ass. I felt like I'd run into a reinforced brick wall." I shake my head, smiling as the others laugh.

"You vibrated like a tuning rod before falling smack on your ass. But my favourite part was when you hauled off and booted that steel door like it was made of tissue paper." Maria states as I laugh with everyone else as we settle into a table, while Green team goes to get the drinks.

"I loved that part too. It was better then sex." I coo, smiling to myself utterly satisfied, Harris sitting down by me with a snort.

"You must not have had very good lovers." he teases and I look at him, grinning broadly.

"Nope. Still a virgin." I state, causing our group to crack up laughing.

"God I loved wearing dad's suit though. Fit like a broken in glove and felt so light. I had to keep checking I wasn't naked while getting the hang of moving in it." I purr, looking up at the ceiling with a grin plastered on my face.

"Oh god..." Harris and a couple of the other guys shudder and whine at the image and each of the women beside them, smack them across the backs of their heads.

"You perverts." they nearly chastise in descending order that makes the rest of us crack up as the others return with the first round of drinks which they set down on the table. I pick up my glass and rise to my feet suddenly relaxed as I look over the group once everyone has theirs.

"To our fallen comrades who fought valiantly out there!" I state clearly as the others rise and lift their glasses solemnly musing agreement. Before we each chug down our beers and set the bottles down on the tabletop empty and each team takes turns buying rounds until its Red team's turn to buy single drinks for those who got the highest scores. And the game keeps going as we continuing toasting things or chatting amongst ourselves while drinking and laughing in the empty space until a group of soldiers walk in and pause, seeing the other students rise with their shot glasses.

"To our leader! For being the craziest and toughest motherfucker out there and keeping us alive!" Maria cries heartily the others joining her as I watch then smiles truly touched before I raise my shot glass and together we shoot them back. Poor Harris though, tilts too far back and I quickly set my glass down as I jump to my feet, catching him with my one good arm, together with Solomon before we look at one another and begin chuckling, seeing he's passed out cold.

"Lightweight." Jackson slurs causing many of us to crack up laughing or chuckle as Maria gets up from her seat smiling and takes Harris' arm and begins to take him back to the barrack's we've been assigned so he can sleep it off.

"You realize this is for ships personnel only?" one of the group questions, pausing beside me with an obvious attempt to intimidate and I smile calmly as I look at them.

"This's the only lounge on the ship." Solomon states defensively as one of the marines steps up to him and they look at one another, seeming like two dogs about to square off.

"That's a good point. But liquor and combat are not good fellows, Solomon get the next round." I thumb him to the bar getting a tense nod from him as he does as I've asked.

"I wasn't aware this was a soldiers only lounge. Perhaps the Captain forgot that when I asked for a place my team and I could have a few drinks." I explain to the Sergeant standing in front of me who quirks an eyebrow.

"You're pretty ballsy for a kid." the older member of the four states and I smile amused.

"Bet your boots! Cap's the ballsiest." Jackson states as the others laugh, musing agreement and I flick my hand in mock modesty.

"Oh youuu guuys." I tease before we laugh together before I look back at the four with a friendly smile.

"You are welcome to join us if you like. The more the merrier." I state as Solomon and a couple others from Yellow team return with trays of drinks and I toss my CR card down on the table.

"Next four rounds are on me." I state as I turn to my team who whoop then laugh as a few others fall over or out of their seats, welcoming the others who shrug and slip in to join us both curious about who the hell these young adults are and how the hell we can drink so heavy.

"So what the hells a group of kids like you doing here?" "What happened to you?" one asks the team as another looks at me, motioning to my obviously tenderized appearance. Maria and Sandra go into the explanation of how we are the surviving students from the university incident as a joke pops into my head and I chuckle.

"To learning stuff and kicking ass while doing it!" I raise my glass as the others cheer and we shoot our drinks back before passing the bottle around to refill them. I look at the one who asked me the question about my beat up appearance and I smile calmly, listing off how I was essentially used as a pinata on both missions then had to fight hand to hand with three elderly Spartan twos, as the marines look at us in surprise as a group of ODST's stride in, overhearing what I listed off.

"That's some fucking luck.." The marine sitting in Harris' old seat blinks at me and I chuckle.

"It'll run out when my father find's out the details. I bet he's gonna be livid when he finds out I demanded to use his old armor." I chuckle as the ODST's stay quiet to themselves and go to a set of seats just within earshot of us.

"Oh he already knows." My cousin states as he walks into the lounge and picks up a glass, filling it then chugs the hard liquor down before taking a seat by Maria as I groan.

"He thought hearing your voice through the external speakers of the suit was just the delirium of the implants. Your mother filled him in that it indeed was you. He hasn't really said much about it beyond setting his jaw in that stone-like fashion he does." My cousin explains obviously amused as I groan worriedly, throwing my shot back quickly.

"How's your mom and dad?" I change the topic quickly as he shrugs a bit noncmottally.

"Pop's still pretty out of it. Mom's got a couple skull fractures, not from you though. Apparently she put up one hell of a fight before being put under. They've both got a list as long as my arm of injuries they sustained. Your dad got the worst though being used as a pinata by _someone_ in his own armor." he looks at me with a smirk as I smooth my hair back now obviously worried.

"Hey you saw the list of shit they did to me too, despite that suit." I point at him as Maria refills my glass with an amused snicker.

"True. Your mom is actually the least injured. Minor cuts, bruises and some soreness from those implants being removed. But she'll be fine. They're still trying to figure out what to do about the - " he begins but I give him a look that shuts him up.

"Thin ice man. So how's your arm? I heard one of those mech's pulled it out of its socket when you went hand to hand with it." I question him as Maria looks at him suddenly concerned and I raise an eyebrow, sipping my drink with an amused smirk as he, embarrassed looks away from her.

"It was re-set... I'm fine." he states, as a few of our group 'ooooooh' or whistle at him teasingly and I snicker, seeing him blush embarrassed.

"There ya go! I told ya he can blush." I state before raising my glass humorously.

"To the lovebirds!" I laugh, even the marines chuckling a bit and joining the toast before we all down our drinks and the drinking games carry on for a few more hours, even after the marines leave and we're joined by a couple of the Sangheili who captured Graves Junior.

Eventually I rise from my seat and with the last 'survivors' of our game begin back to our barracks, laughing amongst ourselves as we walk back quite drunkenly. I help some of the others get into their beds before I sit down on my bunk and slips out of the borrowed uniform quietly, favouring my shoulder slightly as I have to articulate it somewhat before putting my arm in the sling and getting into bed. It doesn't take me long to get to sleep thanks to the amount of alcohol in my system, but my thoughts still go back to Green 2's last communication before he was killed. "Rest well my friend..." I think to myself for letting exhaustion pull me into its embrace.

The next morning I wake up like much of my schoolmates with class A hangovers and pounding headaches, but we manage to get ourselves sorted enough to hit the showers before going to the mess hall for breakfast, half hanging over our cups of black coffee. Though I sit down with the rest, hardly showing the effects of last night as I sip on my third cup of black coffee.

"I don't know how the hell she does it. Packs that much away and doesn't show any sign of it bugging her." Harris groans, slowly picking at his food as I smile a bit.

"If you had my headache. You wouldn't be complaining." I smile jokingly before downing my coffee and begins to force myself to eat my food.

"Nah, you're just the Master Chief's kid." my cousin states calmly, still in pretty good shape for how little he drank compared to many of us. We both look at one another and snicker as we knock our fists together as he settles in and sips on his coffee.

I'm one of the first done with breakfast and leaves the mess hall to go stand by a series of windows that stare out into the blackness of slipspace seriously while I think back to the missions, the failures we suffered and the people we lost.

"I know that look." I hear my uncle Kurt state from some feet away, having walked up the hall without my noticing from how deep in thought I was. I blink out of my thoughts, looking at him slightly confused as he looks at me sympathetically.

"Care for some company?" he questions and I smile lightly, bowing my head respectfully before I resume staring off into space as he walks over and stops beside me.

"It's never easy to take people into battle, let alone send them." he says knowingly, resting his hands on the railing as he stares outside beside me.

"Yeah... We lost too many good people because of those people." I state heavily as I look out into space, rolling my tongue over my teeth as I think about it heavily.

"The point is to not beat myself up further about the things I cannot change." I exhale relentingly as I rest my right hand on the railing before slightly smiling to myself as I stare down at the decking below my feet.

"I can't drink like that too often either." I joke dryly, seeing my uncle shift slightly as he looks down at me then lifts his left hand and places it on my right shoulder comfortingly.

"No one can." he states understandingly and I let a laugh slip as I relax somewhat.

"Yanno, I had a crack team there. They reminded me of those old videos I watched of how the Spartan's worked together during the war. Sam actually gave me hope that no matter what happened, he'd be not only a good partner when the shit hit the fan but someone I could count on off the field too." I begin as I continue staring at the grating.

"I actually wanted to explore more into what kind of future he and I would have.. _Sort of funny how things work out_..." I quote the last words the clone of Samuel spoke to me dryly, as I indulge the pain for a few moments before finally exhaling heavily as its obvious my uncle hasn't even the faintest idea of how to approach that unfamiliar topic.

"The only thing left is what to do now. I know Dad doesn't want me to enlist. But after what I just saw and experienced in that prison school. I have a feeling that the rebels are only getting started causing trouble and the UNSC is going to need every available person to prevent them from continuing their murderous rampage from before the war." I explain, raising my head as I straighten my posture and grits my teeth for a short moment.

"Its a lot to think over and settle in my stomach." I state as I look outside feeling his grip tighten gently, almost as if he's holding me steady and stable understanding my turmoil very well.

"You'll figure it all out. You're a strong woman like your parents." he states encouragingly and I smile looking at him calmly.

"Bet your boots I am." I smile as we both chuckle slightly.

"So have you seen dad, aunt Kelly and uncle Fred yet?" I question after we relax beside one another and enjoy some moments of silence between us.

"Actually. That is where I was headed." he states and I smile.

"Oh I gotta see this. I'm only sad dad couldn't express anything seeing me in his armor. And thankful at the same time." I laugh as I step back and we begin walking to the infirmary together, my uncle smirking a bit.

"Oh I'm sure he was just as surprised as I was seeing you in it." he smirks making me blink at him surprised then runs my hand over my neatly done hair, having put my long hair into a braided bun at the back of my head this morning.

"Well damn... I never thought it was possible to shock a Spartan two. But I've managed to do it to 4..." I mutter with a smirk as we walk down the hall together.

"And my mother of all people... Oh god. I wonder how pissed dad's gonna be. He never wanted me near his armor. Let alone in it!" I bite my thumbnail worried as I think about how upset my dad's going to be and my uncle snickers.

"Well I'm sure you can outrun him." he teases and I scoff slightly.

"Yeah, but I cant run forever. Or outrun aunt Kelly... Yet." I smirk noting the smile on his face as he looks over at me while each step brings us closer to the infirmary.


	7. Chapter 7

I can just begin to hear the three of them talking to one another as we round the last corner. I immediately stiffen slightly as a knot ties itself into my stomach and throat as nervousness grips me when we walk into the doorway, seeing aunt Kelly is perched on a bed beside my father's while uncle Fred is on the other side of him, mirroring her relaxed posture as the three converse. But they rise to their feet looking at uncle Kurt and myself in total surprise.

"Hi..." I wave my fingers at them nervously, with a sheepish smile as my uncle and I enter the room.

"So who won?" My mother questions unexpectedly, gently taking my chin to look at my face, making me nearly jump a foot how she surprises me and I exhale heavily to relax myself as my uncle walks forward towards his team mates, who asides my still stuck in bed father, walk over to meet him partway.

"No one wins in a fight mother. Both sides lose." I look at her gently as she smiles lightly with understanding.

"Yes, I heard you and your schoolmates hit the bottle pretty hard last night." she smiles and I touch my head bowing my head modestly, knowing she's got me there.

"Yeah well... Helped me sleep somewhat. Though did nothing for the pain of failing my teams." I admit, looking at her calmly and blinks as she gently touches my bad arm compassionately.

"Ciel, you still held them together very well and lost only one person. That counts for a lot." she states as I look down at her then to the floor, balling my other hand into a tight fist.

"No. We lost three. We should not have lost anyone because we had the support right there. But I realize, it was combat and people die. Allies reveal as the enemy and its fraught with unexpected surprises that will break many or forge them into stronger people." I finally state, looking right into her eyes as I hold my body taught, but not with tension. With conviction! I watch her stare into my ice blue and violet eyes silently for a moment before she smiles, placing her hand on my chest.

"You're a good leader. You take the responsibility very serious. Just like your father." she compliments softly and I slightly smile, but sidesteps unexpectedly, ducking a fist from my uncle Fred when he tries to plant one on my head.

"You move pretty good for having a bunch of broken ribs." My uncle states simply as I straighten myself out and looks at him somewhat confused, slightly standing to the side of my mother.

"You don't need to remind me. They do that well enough right beside my hangover." I state lightly running my hand over them mindfully before I walk with him over to where my aunt and uncle Kurt are sitting on a bedside near my father who's sitting on the bed, his ribs and much of his torso in bandages from what I can see under the shirt he's wearing.

"I've been wondering. Why'd you take after your father and not either of us?" My aunt asks suddenly as I pause near the end of the bed while my uncle slips in and takes a seat on the edge of the other unoccupied bed beside my father's.

"Well uh... I saw the implants on him were the most exposed and if I hit him the right way I could incapacitate his body long enough to expose the implants and send images to the Infinity with the camera on the helmet to get some intel on them so I knew how to end the fight quickly without causing serious injury. Big risk considering you and uncle Fred were right on top of me almost right after I got Dad down." I swallow dryly, feeling his intense eyes boring into me silently as I have to think carefully how to word this and not say what had really crossed my mind that I calculated he could take the hit better.

"And uh. Well... Dad's a bigger target.. The implants also slowed him slightly and made his movements not as smooth or as sharp as I'm familiar with in training. I didn't see that in you or uncle Fred..." I admit nervously as the four watch me and I can't help but watch my stance is proper and respectful.

"Why did you use my suit?" my father finally questions with a dead seriousness that makes my blood run cold and I begin to sweat nervously as I gulp.

"Uh... Well... I knew it was here..." I look at him nervously with a slight shrug, relaxing my right hand to my side as I resist the urge to run my hand over my hair as I would normally when this nervous.

"Why not use a Spartan 4's armor?" My aunt continues curiously, the question catching me slightly off guard but I roll with it.

"I had no idea if it could stand up to the beating I expected. I knew Dad's armor had been through the wringer many times before he retired and came out beat up but operational. I also figured it'd be good for shock value to any humans seeing me running at them in it buying me seconds to take them down. It would help me be able to more effectively protect my team with its thick armor and shields. I could take a higher amount of abuse to make sure all of my team made it out this time. React faster, shoot more accurately, and hit harder." I state suddenly feeling my tension evaporate as I look at them and locks gaze's with my father while the others are silent.

"I think John certainly found that one out the hard way." uncle Kurt jokes lightly after an agonizing half minute of silence. His comment causes Aunt Kelly to snicker slightly as I see some slight emotion show on my father's face and I internally exhale the nervousness and knots that had formed.

"I had hoped to bluff out of getting into a confrontation with all of you... I knew I could really do damage in that suit and be damaged in turn. Suit or not. Hence my ribs, torn ligaments in my arm, various bruises, split lip... The list goes on." I exhale with a slight disapproving groan as I shake my head wearily.

"I've heard people say the old Spartan 2's aren't as tough as they used to be... That certainly was **not** how I wanted to confirm my beliefs otherwise." I exhale, relaxing a bit as I hang my head.

"How'd you get shot?" my mother inquires suddenly, slipping by uncle Fred and I to gently sit on the edge of my Father's bed amongst them.

"I'd hoped you would know... The shield's should've stopped the bullet... But it tore right through the suit like it was made of cloth and did a number on my shoulder going through. I don't know how the rebels have that kind of technology. But I don't like it or the implications." I state, looking at my family calmly as my cousin comes up behind me, smacking his hand down on my injured shoulder, making me jump and wince, before whipping around and plants my boot on his ass, knocking him a few feet and over one of the beds on the other side of the room.

"You ass!" I hiss, lightly touching my shoulder as he groans and rubs his ass as he begins to get up sorely a short minute later.

"No. I have one. Though I'm not sure after that.." He grunts as he gets to his feet and I glare at him as his parents exhale and my mother giggles slightly.

"Arthur... You know better then that." his father chastises him tiredly as Arthur sorely walks over rubbing where I'd booted him, far gentler then my full strength would allow so I'd only bruise and not break him.

"Yes sir. I'm sorry." he apologizes stopping nearby as I eye him suspiciously.

"Sorry to interrupt but I heard someone was looking for Lieutenant Commander Ambrose. Captain wants something.." he shrugs a bit, looking at our uncle who nods and rises to his feet calmly.

"That's uncle Kurt you dolt." I poke him and has to resist the laugh threatening to escape my lips as his jaw drops in surprise while staring at our uncle.

"Don't stare its rude." His mother reminds seriously, despite the amusement in her eyes and he straightens himself out as our uncle smirks at both of us, then thanks him for coming to tell us before he politely nods to his Spartan brothers and sister before walking away and my father exhales tiredly after mom whispers something to him. Obviously uncle Fred and aunt Kelly hear it and step down onto their feet after exchanging glances.

"We'll leave you two to talk. Arthur... Come with us..." His father states giving his son a flat look that makes him shift a bit as I step aside, catching his second attempt to hit me (with my good hand) to catch me off guard and I smirk at Uncle Fred.

"Your muscles were too poised." I point out to my uncle who smirks pleased as I let his fist go as he pauses in front of me.

"Good job out there." he states patting my shoulder like my aunt who passes by and they fall into step together with their son in tow as I smile slightly.

"Arthur, I'll see you in the gym later for practice." I call after him as he blinks at me then grins happily before giving me a thumbs up. "Make sure the others are ready for it too. You're the one they're sparring with." I smirk watching his eyes light up excitedly with devious delight.

"Will do!" he chimes happily as he follows his parents out into the hallway.

"Practice already so soon?" my mother looks at me curiously, somewhat concerned and I nod calmly.

"We've been talking. Many of our school mates are considering enlisting if my suspicions prove true. I showed them the video feed from both my helmet cams. They agree with me, the rebels are making a comeback and there's no way Graves Junior there could have such resources to do all of that without some serious help, leaks, and support from prepared sources. Least this time, we got Graves alive and that kid isn't like his grandfather - he'll talk under interrogation." I explain grimly, staring down out to the hallway beyond the doors of the infirmary, my previous jovial demeanour disappearing just as quickly as it had come, leaving only stone faced determination in its stead.

I relax somewhat when I see my mother close by and I look down at her with an unspoken obedience of a dog to its master.

Its true though. If she told me right now to go do something, break into something or direct me like she did on the mission. I would without any hesitation or question.

"Ciel. Come here." my father orders as my mother walks away to the doors of the infirmary and I look at him, suddenly feeling like a small child all over again when I look into those piercing ice blue eyes of his and obediently turns on my heel and walks over to his side.

"Sit." he orders and without hesitation I step back up onto the side of the other empty bed beside him, not taking my eyes off his face as he watches me.

"Your mother told me about what happened after we'd been captured. I also have seen the entire video documentation and reports about you and your school mate's struggles to expose the school before resorting to violence, but being slowly prepared to escalate to that when you had exhausted all your other options." he begins to explain dryly as I listen, following every syllable as he pauses a moment, shifting his weight so he can swing his legs off the edge of the bed so he is now looking at me directly before continuing.

"I was surprised by the escalation of careful planning and steps you took to protect your team and schoolmates while always being sure to keep everyone motivated no matter how tough things got." he continues in the same manor, but, there's a growing hint of emotion and self blame to his words that makes me blink surprised he'd ever blame himself or be upset by what happened at the school.

"Well... I just thought about what my family would do and broke down to what I _had_ to do." I admit modestly then looks at the floor and grits my teeth as I tense.

"It still didn't work and you, uncle Fred, aunt Kelly, and even Mom got captured. I lead you all into a damn trap which got all of you injured, Green 2 killed, and one of our best fighters turned out to be sympathizers of the people we were trying to fight. My second in command got killed on the last mission and replaced by a clone when the rest of the team got split up. I never saw any of that shit coming!" I read off, still beating myself up about it as that last COM transmission from Green 2 as it replay's in my head making me ball my right hand into a tight fist.

"And despite that, you kept your teams organized, followed the plans and fall back procedures you had in place, before even leaving your assigned dorms. You kept focused on the mission and came back for us despite the risks and odds. What people do when they betray their comrades is their own affair and you should never blame yourself for their choices when you have to step up and deal with the aftermath of their choice to betray their allies. What you need to focus on is the mission and your responsibility as apart of a team. Let alone as it's leader." He states with experienced seriousness as I close my eyes tightly, feeling the pain of the losses but also Sam's loss.

It all combined with my father's rare complimenting is just too much for me to handle as tears begin to drip to the floor.

"Ciel.." I hear him say my name concerned before I drop to my feet and wraps my good arm around his neck as I bury my face into his shoulder, beginning to sob as I stand between his legs. I feel him tense slightly at how quickly I've moved before gently slipping his much larger arms around me, holding me close as I sob emotionally on his shoulder unable and unwilling to stop myself because deep down I know crying and showing emotion like this is a very good thing, but at the right time and place.

We're not in combat so, I really don't know if this isn't the place, but I can't hold it back any longer. So it's sure as hell going to be the time for me to cry.

I feel him gently shift his arm to my shoulder and gently holds me securely as I cry over the next 15 minutes, beginning to shake as I let it all out helplessly and growing more and more exhausted with each passing minute.

"It's going to be alright Ciel." I hear his voice comfort gently as the exhaustion begins to close in on me as my sobbing begins to slow and quieten down as the minutes tick by.

"I just don't know what to do..." I sniffle emotionally once I am finally able to talk.

"You'll figure it out." he coaxes as I mindfully shift myself to mind his injuries as I lean back to look at him. His arms relax slightly letting me slip back slightly but still holding me as we look at one another and I watch one of his rare smiles form on his face as he uses one of his big hands to gently wipe some of the stray tears off my cheeks.

"You've been through a lot, Ciel. But you've some very good people with you and you have your family for support. No matter what you decide, you have our support." He explains looking at me with a gentleness that usually surprises those who know the Spartan's reputation of not being capable of such gentleness. I relax somewhat and gently rubs one of my eyes lightly, sniffling as I nod slightly.

"Thank you, dad." I sniffle as I look at him and he smiles at me warmly gently placing his hand on my head fondly.

"You will succeed at whatever you put your mind on. I have no doubts of that." He encourages and I smile at him with the similar smirk I learned from mom as I stand up taller looking at him.

"I took you down didn't I?" I tease as he lets his arms rest to his sides and looks at me with his amused smile before he does something surprising and laughs warmly, pulling me onto the bed beside him and gives me a gentle hug.

"That you did." he chuckles a bit as I giggle with him, resting my head on his shoulder, feeling far better then I had before and with renewed faith, no matter who comes and goes from my life he'll be there to help me back onto my feet when I need it.


	8. Chapter 8

We sit for a time beside one another and while leaning on him I get lulled to sleep for a short time by just the sound of his breathing and heart beating. Until I hear my cousin coo quietly to someone else, obviously smiling by his tone.

"Aww... That's so cute." he coos and I hear my mother snicker. Uncle Fred speak's just as both Dad and I jump waking up, blinking at them confused when we both hear the sound of a camera's shutter.

"Got it." he states and I spot the camera in his hands as they stare at us smiling.

"You were both fast asleep. Couldn't resist." uncle Fred shrugs, grinning as I blink, half glancing at my father before we reorient ourselves, him slipping his arm from around my shoulders as I situp properly, covering my mouth as I yawn tiredly.

"I'm surprised you can still be so adorable cuz." Arthur teases me and I suddenly grin at him devilishly.

"Oh so that's why you and Maria are a-" I begin but he jumps, covering my mouth as we both tumble backwards onto the bed and I grunt sourly.

"Maria...?" My mother perks interestedly as he looks back at his parents like a caught dog, especially when my dad picks him up off me by his belt and sets him back on his feet very gently.

"Who's Maria?" his mother inquires interestedly as I situp and grins brightly. "Oh a girl on my team. They really like one another. Not sure if he's asked her out or vice versa yet. But its pretty obvious there's something fishy going on." I pipe up laughing slightly as he blushes, gulping nervously as his parents look at him interestedly.

"You mean that girl on your team who has black hair with the blue undertone?" my father inquires a bit thoughtfully and I nod.

"Yup." I nod, noting the sudden interest in this topic as I step down to the floor calmly.

"But the interrogation will have to wait. I have a second in command to train." I state before looking at him with my now 'normal' hold of commanding seriousness that makes his eyes widen in surprise as our parents look at one another.

"This sounds interesting. Care for spectators?" My mother muses interestedly and I smile calmly.

"Only if dad won't get into trouble being out of bed so soon." I smirk before I look at Arthur smoothly.

"Well. Get moving. You've a lot of work to do ahead of you today. If you think you can handle it." I look at him with a slight smirk of challenge and he jumps straighter.

"You bet I can!" He snaps in proper fashion before I nod politely to our parents then Arthur and I leave, going to the gym where the rest of our schoolmates are.

But as we walk into the room, they are not waiting idle as we had expected but a group of them are nose to toes with a group of ODST's, seeming like we just walked in right at the moment the snarling match was going to escalate into fists.

"Get everyone to fall in and start stretches." I half look at Arthur who gives a curt nod before stepping forward and barks to our schoolmates, snapping many, but the five from the 'fight' as I walk over to the main antagonist of our group and with my good hand, pulls him off his feet and shoves him into the arms of a couple of our classmates.

"Your hearing off too? He said fall in!" I growl at my stunned classmates, having distracted the group enough that they stop their previous fight and turn their attention to me.

"But they-" one of my schoolmates begins but I look at them directly, frowning deeply.

"I don't care. Move!" I order sternly, causing a couple of them to glance back at the soldiers before begrudgingly going over to where Arthur has gathered the rest of the students and is beginning to lay out the rules for the sparring exercises.

"And you five. I suggest the next time, think about who the real enemy is. Because its certainly not them." I state icily as I look directly at the soldiers then turns to walk over and join my group.

"Or what? You'll finish what they started?" the leader of the five snorts and I exhale tiredly, stopping mid-step.

"Or perhaps your Lieutenant will be happy to talk with you about expected conduct of professional soldiers like yourselves." I turn back to them, holding my commanding posture.

"And who do you think you are to give us orders?" the woman beside the leader states, crossing her arms grouchily and I raise an eyebrow at her unimpressed, far from intimidated by this lot.

"I don't recall giving you orders. Only advice. But if you like, the officer about to walk into here, may be all too happy to give you some orders." I state knowingly as they shift, looking at one another confidently, obviously thinking this 'kid' in front of them is just bull shitting them. But their smiles and smirking fade very quickly when the door opens and an officer walks into the room. I smile slightly before nodding to the five politely before turning about on my heel and continues over to my group that Arthur has organized into formations to go over the stretches, which I look over quietly while he goes through the group, adjusting people's stances and otherwise coaching them before continuing through the group in that manor while I walk over and sit down on the nearby bench silently.

The officer half pauses when they see the goings on but continues their own thing as the ODST's snort to one another and slip back over to the weight lifting equipment to continue their own routines.

The rest of the next hour of stretches and warm up routine goes quite smoothly while I stay on the sidelines silently watching how Arthur handles things as well as certain others of our group's behaviour through the warmup. Arthur has everyone organize into pairs to begin the warmup sparring which he walks through quietly like he had the previous exercises while I watch silently for a short time before I perch myself on a piece of unused equipment, observing the going's on silently. Once in awhile I rise to my feet and goes in amongst them, having those paired begin doing something else then what Arthur directed them to, before walking back around and through the organization of the students and resumes sitting. But not always on the same piece of equipment, making sure I've different viewing angles to the group. I very carefully watch how Arthur handles the changes I've made, making his job more difficult but he seems to handle it well externally. But I can tell he's getting slightly irritated how I keep interfering with his orders and authority within the group. Until on one of my passes, I slip past him and suddenly attacks with my good arm, causing him to block it surprised before I continue the barrage while he's still off his footing and confused, causing the others sparring near us to stop and quickly get out of the way as I force my cousin back many feet then stops, catching his first offensive kick.

"You are too tense." I state simply and that's when his frustration explodes into anger as he begins attacking. I let him express it, blocking his moves with my one hand or my feet calmly as I allow him to work the anger out before I close the gap, sweeping his feet out from under him without so much as a shred of emotion shown.

"Why did you lose?" I ask him as he lays on his back, my boot holding his chest securely to the floor as he pants hard, looking up at me.

At first he's looking up at me with anger but it fades as he gleans some understanding of why I did what I did.

"I let my emotions get the better of me and effect my ability to do my job." he answers, letting his head drop to the decking with a dull thud just as our parents walk into the gym silently, unnoticed by anyone of our group. All eyes fixed surely on Arthur and I.

"Good." I state, removing my boot from his chest and looks at the others to let him getup on his own.

"Never forget. Emotions are a double edged sword. They can just as easily wound us as they can our enemy. If you can wield them to your benefit and your enemy's detriment, you will be far more effective in combat then your average person. Again." I speak smoothly and with emotionless command as I look my schoolmates over seriously. Their expressions are mixed, some with distracted awe, others defiant determination, others disgust and few, admiration.

Some shift to go back to sparring but stop when they find out abruptly I've given the command to Arthur who immediately springs into action from behind me, following me as I duck and dodge his attacks, having to block him far more. As he keeps me on the defence. He uses my injuries to his advantage, seeming like an entirely different person as he backs me up with his attacks. He continues his attack until its obvious he has me then he stops, panting far less harder then he had during the first match as I hold his ankle, having just narrowly stopped it from hitting my head.

"Good. Continue." I state, letting his ankle go before he brings it down to the floor and nods, still obviously irritated but follows my direction having the others continue their warmups as I leave the circle and stands off to the side of them silently, ignoring the throbbing from my irritated injuries caused by the sparring with Arthur. I continue testing his patience and pushing his tolerance limits as he continues the exercise over the next hour until he gets pairs of people to begin sparring in the ring, then comes over to me out of earshot of the others.

"What the hell Ciel!? Why do you keep interfering I have everything under control!" He growls at me quietly and I look at him calmly.

"You need to be less touchy if you want to enlist. What I've been doing is exactly what TI's and commanders do and exactly what you will have no other choice then put up with when you enlist. So by learning now how to find methods of dealing with your temper and emotions before they could cause you problems in the future will give you better chances of advancement in that career." I relax and explain sympathetically, but otherwise doesn't show physically my emotions or any hints of what I'm saying so anyone watching will have a hard time reading our conversation. He pauses a moment, looking at me surprised.

"I know you well enough to know your weak points cousin and I'll do all I can to help you be better prepared for the military career you so dream of having." I state, looking at him and smiles gently.

"Because I know you'd make one fine soldier and look very good in a uniform for Maria. After all, she did say to you, when you wore one, how well it fitted you." I smile at him amused, watching him shift and cough a bit embarrassed as a slight blush rises on his cheeks.

"Yeah well..." he trails off, looking away from my gaze as I resume my previous serious expression.

"I've no doubts in you. And only encouragement for you. I'm going to hit your weak spots and give you a slight taste of what it is going to be like. They may be harder on you because who your parents are. Speaking of which, have you even run this by them?" I explain, half glancing at him calmly as he barks out orders for the two of our classmates sparring to switch out for the next team before relaxing slightly.

"No." he states seriously, giving me the distinct feeling he may not tell them till after he's enlisted.

"Do it before. We have a support base in our family few have and should take full advantage of it. Because if you don't I will. Your parents have the right to know what your thinking about doing with your life and what careers you want to pursue so they can be better equipped to support you on whatever path it may be." I explain, slightly relaxing my shoulders before I take my right hand and places it on his shoulder encouragingly.

"Our parents may have their reservations about us enlisting because of what they experienced and how many people they saw die. They don't want us to get hurt or killed because they love us. But I know full well they will support us no matter what we decide. So maybe later, go talk with them." I look at him, relaxing totally as he has his head hung somewhat for some silent minutes.

Eventually looks up at me puzzled then relaxes and exhales, placing his hand gently over mine looking at me with a softness in his eyes that tells me he's still worried but that I've given him the right push he needed.

"Thank's Ciel... I really don't know where I'd be if you weren't always there for me." He says thankfully and I smile, looking at him gently.

"That is what family is for. Now get back to work. Before all this mushiness makes me sick." I say jokingly getting an amused laugh from him as he gently takes my hand off his shoulder then bows moving to kiss my hand.

"Yes M'lady." he teases as I pull my hand away and grumbles at him. He snickers to himself before turning around and jogs back to the ring and begins giving the two sparring directions after calling a time out.

"He really knows how to push it..." I think to myself as I raise an eyebrow watching him before I exhale slightly, smiling to myself as I lower my head and shakes it slowly before I resume my serious demeanour and walks over calmly.

"Arthur. Why don't we demonstrate." I suggest as I walk over to him, the others giving me a clear path and he looks at me with a raised eyebrow, obviously concerned.

"Are you sure?" he looks at me obviously pointing out my injuries.

"I'll do it." Solomon strides forward to us then stops calmly beside me. I look at him then bows my head respectfully, knowing he's able to keep up with Arthur and also, it having been my plan all along to see who would step forward.

"Okay." Arthur shrugs, giving me a sideways glance because he knows I wouldn't give up easy like that unless I had an alterior motive. But he says nothing as the other two slip out and let Solomon and him enter the ring as I slip out from the group and over to the benches by the wall near our parents before I sit down calmly.

"Okay. What're you up to?" My uncle beats the others to the obvious question and I can't help the wry smirk escape my hold for a slight moment before wiping it away.

"Testing for my second in command and my cousin. Arthur is already the team leader on another team that works excellently with him there. I wont mess with something that works just to replace the two my team lost." I explain calmly, not taking my eyes off Solomon and Arthur as they spar slowly so the others can take in every movement they make.

"That sounds pretty cold to talk about your team mates and cousin like that." My mother adds quietly almost surprised and I look at her calmly.

"I can't make decisions on just emotion alone, Mom. Any one of them who follows me down the path I've found myself on, may die. I will not lead them down it unless I am entirely sure they can handle it or will not be of best service elsewhere to the upcoming battles. I don't look forward going with Green's team leader to the home of Green 2's parents when we arrive at Earth to tell them their son was killed under our leadership. I don't want to have to do that again if the steps I take here and now can prevent it." I explain, hardness entering my tone as I obviously shut my emotions off behind a wall as I watch Arthur and Solomon step from the ring and let the others continue as they have demonstrated.

"I'm not saying I don't realize that death is apart of combat. I have a feeling though, this go around with the rebels is not going to be like any of what you faced. I only have the distinct feeling its going to be bad. And If we're going to be the next generation to fight them. I want them as well trained as possible, whether they go into combat or not." I state smoothly as Arthur continues directing things in and around the boxing ring as I look things over.

"Sounds reasonable." My uncle Kurt states as he joins us smiling slightly at us. I reach my hand up and catches a boot coming in at us and exhales wearily.

"Less boot. More kick." I order and flips it back to one of my close classmates as the owner blinks embarrassed while the others laugh as the boot is passed forward to the owner.

"Hello, Kurt." my mother nods to him politely but doesn't take her attention off me as I rise to my feet.

"Ciel. Don't talk like that. Its cold and harsh!" she states as I look at her with my eyebrows raised slightly.

"I realize it. It's hard not to be pissed seeing whats left of my teams and family. The bruises and injuries on their bodies caused by those people who upto 6 years ago we had no idea of their existence. But they quite obviously knew of the Spartans even before they graduated to field work." I point out grimly as I stare into her eyes as I continue grimly.

"Their resources, information and tactics are frightening. And this mystery group has a technology we've never heard of before, that can take control of a person's very body while they're stuck watching helplessly. I haven't the faintest clue how to fight an enemy who can turn those I love against me like some twisted puppet show or creating clones of my family like they're building some kind of army. It's incredibly irritating and frustrating. So being cold and harsh is my way of not punching a hole in the wall. And trust me, I probably could right now." I state quick, but honest that indeed all of this has me upset.

"Sounds like you've thought this over quite a bit." My uncle Fred muses thoughtfully and I look up at him with a slight nod.

"What doesn't wake me in a cold sweat. I spend my waking moments mulling over. The mission was a success and needs no further beating myself up over now that I've dealt with the guilt and position I've found myself in. Now I need to do what I can to bring those bastards down before they can get to whatever point it is they've been cultivating their resources for. Or help fight them and how. If it means I'd be better to not enlist to not get bogged down with the problems that plagued the UNSC with the last rebel factions, I'll find another way to fight. There's more then one way to play chess." I state looking at him as I smirk slightly before exhaling a bit and runs my hand over my hair tiredly.

"Though I'd really like to not be doing it blindfolded." I exhale before ducking another boot, but both my Aunt and I catch it before it hits the mark at the end of it's trajectory, that my father has pulled to himself protectively - My mother. I hold the laces in my hand as my aunt lets the boot go as we all look over and I hold it up.

"What'd I say about less boot more kick? Arthur! I want everyone on their team to take their boots off and you can show them how to retie them properly!" I snap hearing a whisper from some and groans from others.

"Aw come on!" one of our group who'd spoken about enlisting, whines loudly.

"Excuse me." I nod politely to my elders before I stride over, tossing the boot to Arthur as I pass him and strides right up to the student, putting my face right to his so fast he has to take a step back to stop from falling.

"So you think you can enlist with that kind of back talk!? TI's would eat you for breakfast." I snap commandingly, in my best imitation of a TI mixed with Mendez that I can muster before I turn and look at every one of them seriously.

"The TI's are going to be twice as harsh and twice as mean as I am! They are going to do their very best to break you down to nothing just to rebuild you into what they are trained to: Soldiers. I'm only trying to prepare you for what may lay in wait for every one of us off this ship. That group which held us prisoner in that school, some for near a decade, did it all for some reason we have yet to understand. I'd be one piss poor person to not at least try and give every one of you good people some tools to protect yourselves and your loved ones no matter what happens the moment we reach Earth and if you decide to leave to go protect them, you'll at least have something to do it with." I explain seriously as Arthur looks to them honestly after handing the owner of the boot, it back.

"No one is safe with those bastards still breathing and running free in our society. I know from experience my cousin shares my intent of not letting them keep doing either for very long." Arthur states with my shared grimness but now I'm not the only respected person of our group speaking but he is as well.

"We grew up beating on one another and playing games that gave us a jump on this kind of life. Ciel couldn't get enough of our parents recounts of their lives. Never could train hard enough. Be fast enough. Strong enough. Or smart enough to her own opinion of what the Master Chief and Cortana's first born child should be. I just tried to keep up until she took my hand and helped me become stronger, faster, and somewhat smarter too." he explains and I shoot him a flat look like he really shouldn't bring that up because it's embarrassing, especially with our parents watching let alone in earshot. But it brings into perspective things for the others as they look at one another and I exhale defeatedly.

"I hated the idea of being told I would be just as strong, fast or intelligent as my parents. I wanted to be better. Go to the limit and break it. I was dumb because I got exactly what I wanted and I haven't the faintest clue what to do next. My strength, speed, and intelligence are meaningless against a well prepared enemy like the one that just revealed itself. So I just have my 'fuck you' attitude to fall back on with my parents 'never give up' drive to push me forward until I find my next target. Oh and Arthur's butt to kick across the room every time he smacks my new injuries causing me pain..." I explain, looking at each of them honestly, hearing some snickers in the group as Maria walks over and with a resounding smack causes him to yowl sorely and cover his butt once he comes back down to the floor after a nearly two and a half foot leap into the air causing almost everyone to crack up laughing and some to drop into hysterics as he turns around without thinking cries out loudly.

"MARIAAAA!" He cries loudly then realizes his mistake as he sees his parents look at one another and smirk, this making me laugh.

"Yanno though you really should be nicer to him." I chuckle at her, as she looks at me smirking as she puts a hand on her hip.

"I'd hate for you to beat such a fine man up too much. Especially when I'm perfectly capable of doing it for you. Just, in far more embarrassing ways." she purrs teasingly with a wide grin on her face as we chuckle.

"Mariaaaaa!" he complains, beginning to turn bright red as we laugh more.

"So, Ciel. Why didn't you just say something to us?" Solomon asks curiously as we calm down and the group moves in closer like we do when talking like this, a habit from our time at the school which allowed us to plot and plan easier.

"I had plenty on my mind and my plate. I wanted to give you all time and myself time to digest what happened before we got to Earth. Then I hoped by then I'd have some idea of my next steps, asides from heal up and give everyone something to do as a group so we wouldn't spend our time moping and letting what happened at the insurrection against the insurrectionists gnaw away at everyone. Oh and of course give those wishing to enlist a taste of what boot will be like as well as those on the fence about it. Whether its secretly or openly." I explain, half sitting on the edge of the boxing ring.

"Have you decided if your going to enlist?" One of those who'd been sparring inquire and I shake my head.

"I have considered it. But if its Innies we're dealing with. I am rethinking the idea because of how effectively they had the UNSC and ONI chasing their tails before the Covenant hit. Now, this group's far more organized and honed. They are not crude and as unrefined as the rebels before. Making them extremely dangerous so military dogma and tactics will be a disadvantage in some aspects." I explain honestly as many look to one another musing understanding and agreement with my points.

"But because it may not be my cup of tea does not mean those of you considering enlistment would not do very well or even excel in that environment and be just as much of a problem to those criminals as my boot was to my darling, little cousin's rump." I smile gently hearing him yelp and flail, squealing indignantly from near the back of the crowd.

"And such a nice one it is." I hear Maria purr as we all look to find him extremely red and very embarrassed, glaring down at her as she holds her hands clasped behind her back as she rocks back and forth on her heels, smiling innocently. The self satisfied, but tasteful smile on her face tells all, she just rubbed his ass and what I know of her.. It was after sliding her hand down the back of his pants!

"Maria... Should we uh give you two some alone time in the barracks tonight or something?" One of our group asks, trying very hard not to let the laughter threatening to slip out of their lips go.

"Or just tie him up and leave him there?" Jackson throws in, nearly half doubled over from trying desperately not to break down, tears rolling down his cheeks.

"Oh fuck you guys too!" Arthur grumbles, folding his arms with a very embarrassed huff and I gently rise onto my feet then walks over and with a fluid, unpredicted motion takes him by the ear and without my knowing Solomon has followed and I hear him throw Maria over his shoulder without breaking stride as he follows me over to Arthur's and my parents, and our silent but intrigued uncle before depositing her beside Arthur in front of his parents.

"He's your son." I shrug, looking at my aunt and uncle before I turn around and returns back to the snickering group with Solomon following me quite happily.

"Sooo. Blue team. Yellow. Why aren't those boots off and being retied?" I ask putting my hand on my hip with a coy smile, quickly turning the groups snickers to laughing moans and groans as we go back to the training as Arthur, Maria, and his parents discreetly take a leave of absence to go talk privately.


	9. Chapter 9

Over the final days of our trip to Earth I get pretty healed up, sort things out with my family so any confusion and questions they have get answered, apologize a few times to my father for hurting him so bad when I find out I broke many of his ribs, till he gets me to stop and I also figure out my next steps.

So with permission of the Captain I wrack the AI's brain as well as the information systems on the ship. Still looking for information on this mystery group as deep as we can get, as my mother's still operational AI gets in on the action. It helps me decide much.

But not if I'm going to enlist or not and that still frustrates me because I know I need to figure that out, so I can take the next steps to prepare myself for that path.

I step into the bridge to find my uncle Kurt, and a couple others standing around the holotable. The Captain looks up at me was I politely nod to them and stride forward to the table side.

"So we've heard you have made some breakthroughs on this mystery group." an Admiral's image states from one of the open view-screens as I step into view, bowing my head politely as I set the borrowed tablet I've been using down on the tabletop, letting my mother's AI bring up the information for everyone to scrutinize.

"Yes sir. I was right about them being an old organization. Graves junior is just a small cog in the larger machine. Unlike with the URF where his grandfather was a much larger piece, the youth is far lower on the totem pole. Which I was right to be concerned considering his capabilities if his position turned out to be so low. It lends me to believe those in the command circle are far more trouble." I begin as my mother's AI transfers the information over, which by the man's slight shift as it appears on his screen tells me I've done some good work.

"As of yet however, who and what their intended final goals are, are still out of my reach. But the students actions at the school may have the unintended effect of drawing them out to reveal themselves now that the UNSC has control and at least awareness of the cloning facility and what was found within it. Along with the goings on within the school and the kinds of students they procured. Not a single person is run of the mill. But the cream of the crop for their skill sets that with some effort and training they could either be excellent additions to their own machine or to break that machine into tiny pieces." I continue, flipping over the images of student's pictures with a short description of their particular strengths, including those who were 'graduated' or killed which as the others look this over, the Captain looks up at me seriously concerned.

"Are you sure about this? All of these people were chosen to attend that school...?" he questions and I nod grimly.

"Yes sir. Even those like myself who applied to other schools, they killed those applications so theirs was the only one we could attend. And if we fought or tried to go personally to other schools or those on their 'hit list' didn't apply, they made sure we came there." I explain matter-of-factly while the Admiral relaxes in the seat he's in.

"This is very informative and well put together.." My uncle comments, looking through the files thoughtfully as I motion to my mother.

"An AI in this kind of investigation is indispensable. Let alone two sparing some of their time to assist my research and help me format this for the simple impact of what kind of an enemy we may now be facing." I state before sliding my finger over my tablet and brings up all the files onto the holotable, which forms into a scale system, revealing a small portion of the scale of the group that we've uncovered thus far that causes even Roland, the Infinity's AI to let out a low impressed whistle. The officers surprise quickly turns grim like my expression as I look at the slowly rotating image.

"I asked Cortana to add this format for anyone who wishes to debate that this group is indeed a serious threat. I see few ways with this simple scale anyone could argue this group doesn't deserve serious action to stop them. I've found that over the mass of files and information, visual representations are far better at putting into perspective certain things." I state, looking at the Admiral as I relax to an emotionless stance as he looks over the scale displayed on a projector out of the view of the camera. But his and the others silence doesn't last long as he shifts in his seat, looking directly at me now just as bothered about this as I am.

"This is certainly disturbing information you have gleaned and I will have actions taken immediately to get the UNSC and ONI on this group. Captain Lasky. I will send word shortly on what Highcom decides. In the meantime, keep the students under close watch or guard if need be. If this group has targeted them as high value targets, they may try again to apprehend or kill them entirely now that its obvious they are going to be uncooperative to their plans." He orders and the Captain snaps to attention as I internally sigh to myself.

"Great... Babysitting..." I think to myself before there's a short exchange between the two and the Admiral's view screen snaps off, allowing a short moment for us to breathe as I relax. I slide my borrowed tablet over to the Captain calmly.

"With your permission. I'm going to go get some sleep now.." I look at him wearily as he gently picks the tablet up and nods with a slight understanding smile.

"Alright. You've certainly earned it." he states, slightly swaying the tablet meaningfully in his hand and I nod to him politely before I turn around and leaves.

It doesn't take me long to get back to the barracks I share with my schoolmates who're doing various things, some playing cards, other sparring, a few sleeping and a couple others reading.

"Hey! Ciel's back! How'd it go?!" One of them raises the alarm as I step into the room and exhales a bit tiredly as I begin to unbutton my uniform jacket, closing the door behind myself.

"It raised many eyebrows. And is being given directly to HIGHCOM and ONI with the serious advisement that group should get immediate action to put them down." I explain tiredly as I walk over and sit down on my bunk exhausted.

"And that we're to be babysat for our own safety in case the group comes after us now that we've proven we won't give into them but fight them with all we have. There is concern the group may try to re-kidnap us or just kill us as a result." I exhale as I get ready for bed.

"When was the last time you slept?" Arthur inquires, noting my slow and careful movements to slip my uniform off before I rise and begin putting my uniform away into my locker.

"3 days, 16 hours, and 45 minutes. And only the AI's know how many cups of coffee its taken to keep me going this long." I answer with slight humour as I close my locker and returns to my bedside, pulling the covers back before I sit down.

"Ciel. You really shouldn't beat yourself up about-" he begins to say sympathetically as Solomon throws a sock at him.

"That's not why. She just wanted to get it done so it could be submitted right away when we arrived at Earth." he states before rolling back over with a tired yawn to go back to sleep.

"Now stop your nagging honey." he teases Arthur as I snicker and slips under the covers of my bed.

"Thanks Sol." I muse quietly as one of the other guys puts an arm around Arthur's neck and begins ruffling his hair as everyone goes back to what they'd been doing.

"No probs shorty.." he mutters back and I toss a sock at him, smiling slightly.

"I'm not short." I grumble, hearing him laugh quietly before we both settle back into our bunks and dose off.

Hours later, just as I'm putting a clean uniform on and adjusting the jacket the room's com starts up, which one of the others closest answers politely, speaking with someone for a short time before they finish.

"Hey Ciel. There's a call for you and your parents. They said you can take it on the bridge. The Captain has news anyways." Sandra calls over to me and I nod calmly.

"Thanks Sandy." I smile calmly before leaving and heads up to the bridge, fussing a bit over the look of my clothes and hair as I ride the lift to the level the bridge is on.

"Your parents are going to be delayed, would you like to take the call alone?" Roland inquires while Lasky is looking something else over before turns to acknowledge me as I walk over to the table.

"Go ahead Roland. I can relay things to them when they arrive." I state calmly, covering my mouth as I yawn tiredly.

"Just get up?" Lasky smiles slightly and I snicker, grinning.

"No. The shower made me tired all over again." I smile as a window pops up in front of me with my two brothers shown on it with an oddly black background. But my smile fades when I see the fear and apprehension on their faces and I lean in, placing my hands on the edge of the table.

"Whats wrong boys?" I question as Jay shifts uncomfortably (I've two brothers, Jay which is just about 13 and Franklin, named after my parent's original trainer, Franklin Mendez, who's just turned 8.).

"Ciel... I'm scared..." Franklin whines, holding onto his brother nervously looking at something out of view that is obviously close to the two boys. I notice Jay looks somewhat roughed up in the lighting of their view screen.

"Where are you?" I tense, feeling the material on the back and arms of my uniform begin to pull taught as my muscles tense for combat and my eyes narrow seriously as the view screen turns to someone else only as a rough silhouette.

"Now that we have your attention dear girl. You've proven in the short time of us studying you that your indeed quite the troublemaker. But also quite promising. If you want your brothers to remain untouched and unharmed. I suggest you tell that Captain to turn the youth you've been referring to as Junior, over to you and you will deliver him personally to us. You will be alone. No backup. No one following you. Just you and Junior. Or the boys die and you'll find their bloody bodies at your doorstep when you least expect. You have 3 hours to bring him to us." the man's voice orders with a serious fact he's not playing games as the view screen snaps off just as my parents step in to hear the final demands.

"Trace that communication!" Lasky orders as I grip the edge of the table, making it groan as it begins to deform and I grit my teeth together infuriated.

"Those... BASTARDS!" I think to myself furiously.

_

Oh no! What's going to happen?! First Ciel's family in danger, now her little brothers! What do these twisted people have planned?!

Well, I can guarantee, it's definitely going to be exciting!


	10. Chapter 10

"You are not go-" Lasky begins to order but stops when both the AI's avatars freeze in motion over the table just before the normal soft blue light it emits turns green and all the displayed data disappears as a voice begins to laugh.

The ghostly image of a green man seems to appear out of nowhere just a few feet from the two frozen AI's projected avatars.

He seems about medium height for an AI with a lean yet muscular build and caucasian features. His spiked hair is within appropriate military grade and he wears a neatly pressed pinstriped suit much like that of the old mobsters in the 1950's with an unlit cigarette hanging between his thin lips.

His expression seems glued in an overconfident grin which can only be described as creepy when paired with wide, staring eyes that seem to contain about the same amount of emotion as a reptile's. If I have to guess from the way he carries himself, I'd peg him as very full of himself… And a raving pervert.

"My my. What a pity. The best vessel of the UNSC and with two AI's and it took hardly any effort to crack your systems... I had hopped you'd at least be worth some amusement." The male AI complains somewhat bored as he glances at the officers and over both AI's. Before turning his attention to my parents then down to me as I look about ready to rip his head clean off, had I the ability to do so.

"But you. You may be worth some amusement to me as you struggle against my master's web like a helpless fly." he coos, licking his lips hungrily as I let a threatening snarl slip from between my lips.

"Even a helpless fly can kill the spider. Or be their undoing." I shoot back, watching the AI's every slight movement as he turns more to me and his grin, unbelievably spreads nearly to his ears as his eyes light up with delight.

"Oh yes. You are indeed entertaining. That's why it is going to be a pity. That like your carefully prepared files, you'll not exist long." he states as his avatar disappears like a mist into the 'air' above the table before the green light that was his controlling the table suddenly rushes to the points my hands contact the table far faster then either I or anyone can move and I get struck with a massive influx of electricity that throws me to the deck nearly 8 feet from the table.

"Ciel!" my parents call my name surprised as the AI's resume moving, my mother's utterly furious as Lasky begins handing orders out rapid fire while my parents move over and together begin trying to help me while they wait on medical help.

"She's not breathing." My mother worries as my father checks me over then after a few minutes of trying to resuscitate me my eyes dilate and I suddenly gasp, rolling onto my side with my parents help as I begin to cough and gasp for air.

"Ow..." I complain as I begin to get to my feet grumpily despite my parents and the newly arrived medic's protesting as my strength and senses return fully. I look at my hands and touches my ribs thoughtfully then exhales.

"Fuckers." I curse quickly opening my jacket top and pulls my shirt aside to check my shoulder that was still healing and to the others shock – it has healed over.

"Lasky. We've got three hours. There's not much choice. If we do nothing they're going to leak this to the civilian medias that the UNSC sat back as some monsters killed my parents youngest children." I state grumpily as the medic continues checking me over.

"And if you go, you are doing exactly what they want." Commander Palmer grunts and I look at her.

"Actually, either way it's playing right into their hand. Either way this will be leaked to make the UNSC look bad. But at least this way, we can counter by leaking this ourselves. Letting the public know what exactly this group pushed us to do by returning Junior to them to save two young children at the cost of military pride giving into terrorist demands to buy the time to bring them down. Or some shit like that." I state, touching my head as it throbs.

"Highcom knows already. There was a breach in their systems and the files you sent are gone. Thankfully, after the Admiral had sent them and they'd been read." Cortana states after a pause and I smile slightly.

"But its pushed them to agree. High priority has been given to stop this group and resources are already in motion towards making a project to fight this group. I've relayed your suggestions and its being debated now, but it sounds like you've got support." she continues as I walk back to the table and picks up the metal bracelet Sam had given me on my birthday some years ago, now burnt and warped where it'd fallen by the table.

"But you can't go down there alone.. You'll be an open target." my mother protests and I nod.

"I know. But there's not much we can do. I won't abandon them." I begin as the discussion goes on about the dangers and why I shouldn't go while the Captain has to go to a communications console to speak with HIGHCOM.

"Why not use the Mark 7? They never said you had to come in a uniform or civilian clothing." My uncle suggests as he walks in from the hallway, causing us to pause and I blink a moment thinking then I smile.

"They never said I couldn't go armed either..." I state as the Captain turns to us.

"Do it." he orders and I nod abruptly before turning on my heel and heads down to 'Spartan Town' at a jog.

It's not long before I'm leading Junior into the building we'd been sent the location of, restraints jingling a bit as he walks just in front of me as we walk into the dimly lit room where I'm supposed to do the exchange. I've however made sure that any weapons I brought with me are not visible but well hidden on my person as I carefully scan the room.

"Right on time." That same man's voice states as he walks forward from the shadows as a video screen activates showing my brothers being released, to run into a recruiting office. The youth I'm holding my hand on the shoulder of lifts his head hopefully as the man walks forward.

"What a waste." he states before pulling a gun and shoots Junior in the head surprising me as the youth falls to the floor with blood leaking from the bullet wound in his forehead.

"As promised." he states and I grit my teeth slightly disgusted at how emotionlessly he just shot the young Graves without a single moment's hesitation.

"Indeed." I snort before shifting to turn on my heel and leave but my armor locks up and suddenly the internal pressure grows quickly, making it harder to breathe with each passing second.

"After all, you and your armor are more valuable to us." that male AI's voice coos in my ear as spots grow in my vision as I struggle to breathe and move.

"Shit... This's not becoming a good pattern..." I think to myself as I feel the man tap on my faceplate.

"You seem real enough to me." he quotes someone long dead before my vision blacks out totally.


	11. Chapter 11

I wake up some time later on a metal chair with some strange kind of bindings holding my legs together securely while there's secondary straps over top them, my waist, chest, shoulders and multiple places on my arms down to two large ones holding my forearms down to the arms of the obviously specially made chair for holding someone as strong as me or possibly stronger.

I groan sorely as I cough a bit, trying to blink away the fog and disorientation as I begin to wake up. I hear the door to the otherwise empty room slide open as someone strides in confidently as my vision clears and can see, not just vaguely feel the bindings holding me down. But that's not entirely what shocks and worries me - my armor plates have been removed and I'm left only in the skin tight black body suit which is the first layer of MJOLNIR armor.

"So nice you decided to return to us of your own free will. And with such a nice suit of armor you brought for us... It wont be long however they send people to rescue you and bring us more subjects, armor, and equipment." the person states quite calmly as they fiddle with something on a table out of my view as I begin to struggle and try to break free of the bindings growling defiantly.

"It is too bad your clones were just as uncooperative as you are. A real disappointing waste." they state tiredly as the lights flicker and they pause a moment.

"My my. How quick they responded. Ooooh. And with a Mark 6 and more mark 7's!" they pipe delighted as I use every ounce of strength I can muster to try and wrench the bindings from their supports.

"Oh my. How quickly you've regained your strength. That'll never do." they mutter to themselves, moving around behind me quickly and begins messing with some other things before they quickly move over and puts an injector gun to one of the ports for my body suit and injects me with a sedative that hits me immediately, disorienting me and my head drops back with a hard thud against the metal of the chair as I exhale a defiant growl.

"This wont knock you out. It'll just disorient you enough that you cannot muster your incredible strength. It would be no good if you broke free." they explain simply before walking back behind me and drops the injector gun on a table with a clatter.

"Bas-tard..." I manage to huff as the medication makes it difficult for me to take each breath as an invisible weight presses down on my chest, making each breath hard to take in as my eyelids sink to half open, making me fight to reopen them when I blink.

"Dammit all..." I think to myself as I try to think of a way out so those coming wont wind up in the same boat as me.

But its too late as the person walks over on my right and aims a gun at my chest just as the door slides open.

Three shots ring out as my father strides into the room with his rifle levelled, but it droops in shock as another with him shoots the person with a kind of tazer that immediately drops the person before they can continue firing.

I'm so drugged I hardly feel much as the bullets tear into my body but I know from experience that person has just put all three into my heart and left lung from the sensation of warm fluid flowing over the body suit from the middle of my chest. My head drops back and lulls to the side after locking eyes with my father's golden faceplate before his split-second hesitation ends and he secures the automatic rifle to the mag strips on the back of his suit before he begins ripping the restraints off my body before another soldier unloads a can of bio foam into my chest.

"The... boys...?" I question, pooling my last ounces of strength to hold on long enough as I steadily loose the war to keep my eyes open and they slide closed.

"Safe..." I hear the other person confirm as I feel two arms slide under my body and lift me off the chair, blood sliding down my cheek from my nose and mouth with each breath pushing more out.

"Hang on." I hear someone's voice order in the distance as I let my body fall limp, unable to hold any tension in my muscles anymore as the person begins moving quickly.

"I'm sorry..." I exhale as that heaviness evaporates to total weakness as tears slide down my cold, greying skin as I loose touch with everything and accepts my punishment for letting my own ambitions blind me and get myself killed like this.

I knew how hard it'd hit my father over anyone about my loss. But I still stupidly rushed in without thinking. And now its my loved ones who will suffer the most for my mistakes. But what can I do now? My heart's probably now in more pieces than a glass vase after its been dropped two stories to concrete.

"Live to fight another day." The almost ghostly voice surprises me. Not only by the fact I had heard it, but it sounded a lot like Samuel's, just younger! But with a definite command to his words that Samuel never had.

"Spartan's never die." I hear my uncle Kurt's voice say through gritted teeth in physical agony, like he'd expected them to be his last.

"WAKEUP YOU MORON!" Someone screams so loudly I swear it was from right inside my head and it is so startling my eyes snap immediately open and I jolt into an upright position on an infirmary bed, but the motion makes me immediately regret it and groan in agonized pain as I lay back down with the help of a couple pairs of arms that I guess belong to the fuzzy shapes of people I'd seen.

"Works every time." I hear Maria's voice chime with self satisfaction.

"I'll kill you later..." I grumble painfully as I hold my eyes shut.

"You are a moron though. Ignoring direct orders to pull out because the boy's had been located and rescued shortly after you got into that building..." I hear Arthur scold grumpily and I swallow trying to ease the desert fire that is in my throat.

"That woulda been nice to know... But I got none of it. The AI must've infiltrated my suit's systems before knocking me out after that man shot Junior.. My com was silent the entire time." I explain slowly, minding my breathing and movements because it feels like I've been cut open and reorganized.

"Did you touch anything going in?" I hear my mother ask suddenly with interest as I feel a warm hand gently wrap its fingers around mine, making me smile and relax slightly.

"The door. It shows on the video." My aunt Kelly answers a bit puzzled as I gently tighten my fingers around those holding mine.

"Hi Sol." I mutter gently, feeling his hand gently squeeze mine confirmingly.

"That'd do it." I hear my mother's AI confirm and I tense slightly when I feel a pang of pain radiate through my entire body making my breath catch a moment before I relax, panting slightly.

"So I guess going in my clothes mighta been a better idea." I half joke, opening one of my eyes to look at my mother, getting a flat scolding look from her.

"Its not funny." she scolds and I look at her sympathetically before Sol, firmly forces her closer to me and places my hand on hers.

"I love you too mom." I open both my eyes as I look up at her gently, comfortingly holding her hand as she looks between Sol and I. It takes her a few silent seconds to sort out the sentiment's from Sol's pushing her closer to me and putting her hand in mine, to my words, holding her hand comfortingly in mine.

"You idiot. When your father brought your body back..." she begins as her emotions break through as tears begin sliding down her cheeks and with a gentle but quick motion I pull her down to me, comfortingly holding my arm around her as I hold her in my arms regretfully while she sobs emotionally into my shoulder.

"Yeah... I'm a dummy. But I'm your dummy." I soothe quietly, letting her get her emotions and crying all out before I let her stand back up as she looks down at me still obviously remembering something that upsets her deeply and I use the blanket as an oversized handkerchief to wipe the stray tears off her face tenderly.

"Now stop crying. I didn't stay dead. Just imagine those people who wanted me dead. They think right now I'm dead. They'll begin focusing on other places and giving me lots more freedom to help bring them down. Right Cortana?" I explain before I close my eyes wearily, smirking amused.

"Even I had to be impressed when we got the armor back... Your plan worked. We now have viable ways to block them from our systems. And importantly, keep your survival a secret." My mothers AI self muses slightly impressed as I hear the others shift slightly as I begin to dose off.

"It's so simple. A spider caught in its own web. I had a dream and while suiting up, deja vu. So I had Cortana scrap a trap together and hide it within my armor's HTML so it would copy the AI that took control and left a small trace in his programming. Like, Grandma Halsey taught me how to do." I explain, getting obviously tired out from all this.

"Get some sleep, there's plenty of time to confuse us later..." I hear Sol advise gently, feeling his warm hand rest on my forehead which makes me smile very slightly.

"That's not hard... Sock man." I tease him as I relax, letting myself slowly relax, hearing my aunt snicker slightly while my mother questions.

"Sock... Man?" she muses puzzled as I hear him grunt.

"Perhaps you would indulge our curiosity." my father's voice cuts in from the distance the sleep has taken me until I dose off fully. But not before I hear Arthur snicker amused.


	12. Chapter 12 - The End

And that's how it all began.

My career in the UNSC as an unofficial operator. It has been nearly 14 years since that day I'd been killed officially.

I move silently with my team of "Death Dealers" towards a room at the end of this hall in an old building that was built inside the shield world once known as Onyx. Can't for the life of me ever remember what it's called now though.

I can't help but pray with this last moment of brutality, this civil war may end and the lives of my team and family may move on finally. But I keep focused as my team and I come close to the door but with a silent shift, we stop almost as one wordless entity.

I half look to two of my comrades who without any word or motion jump into action and drop two smoke grenades at my feet, illuminating the laser's crisscrossing the corridor ahead of us.  
"How funny." I smirk to myself, having my armor and AI detect the type and re-align all of our suit's shields so it'll fool them into thinking they'd never been broken before we proceed on at that same quick pace until we arrive at the door.

I wait until every one of us is in position as I pull my boot back and heaves the door in. My team follows the door just as fast as my boot removes it from the doorway. Their guns spitting out the semi-newly produced sedative filled rounds as quickly as they can cycle as I run in through the gap they left me and leaps into the air, driving my feet down on either side of a terrified woman's shoulders, my gun levelled down at her.

"Clear!" one of my team calls through the external speakers of their helmet.

"Sir. Mission complete. Command and operations secure." I state over my suit based comline before I unpolarize my helmet, just to let her see who exactly she and so many other rebels have been terrified of.

"YOU!? BUT YOU'RE DEAD!" She wails and I scoff.

"Said the spider to the fly." I state coolly before I end my sentence with a single punctuation from my rifle, causing the woman to fall limp as the sedative filled round hits her chest before I slap restraints on her and hefts her body over my shoulder unceremoniously.

"This is no time for humour, 9-11." Lasky half scolds, but I can tell in his voice if he could, he would've laughed at my comment.

"Yes. Sorry sir. Packing up the presents. We'll be heading back shortly." I read off calmly.

"Aw we ran outta ribbons and bows..." I hear Sandra say half seriously over our TEAMCOM and I smile a bit.

"Very good. And tell 063 to can the bad humour. You are bad enough." he orders as I look to her with my visor once again polarized. She just shrugs with her palms up and I shake my head as I deposit the woman from my shoulder inside her own personal, armored transport crate.

"Understood sir. Canning it." she returns in proper and polite fashion and I shake my head lightly at her while we get our boxes secured then sets them onto grav carts which three of our team lead out when two teams of marines come running up the hall safely, now that the security systems are down, thanks to one of my team.

"Is the AI secure!" I hear an irritatingly bossy and nosey ONI officer demand a bit too loudly in our ears. I stay silent as my team and I finish our work in the room.

" **9-11,** I ASKED YOU A DIRECT QUESTION!" he screams furiously.

"What? Can you talk a little louder sir? I think any bogies not fully dead yet could hear you." I retort with a short temperament.

"Like I said during the briefing. Don't break COM silence unless it's necessary. So I thank you for giving the damn thing a heads up." I snap before remotely shutting his com system off so he can't break com silence further.

Harris makes a hand sign we use for people I get into a blind irate rage like this and I shrug, signing back its very likely. Before we move back out into the hall, leading the other grav carts to the waiting pelicans and Arthur's team.

"You really shouldn't piss that guy off so much." He smirks, patting the specially designed crate for holding that male AI's systems. An AI of this magnitude and apparently limitless lifespan required a specially built and very expensive case, which Arthur is using to half sit on comfortably.

"And! He shouldn't break com silence and endanger both our teams!" I point out as I flick the box as I pass by, helping to load some of the crates holding the captured command and high value enemy targets while Arthur shrugs.

"Good job. Guess that means I buy the drinks tonight." I smile, speaking through the external speakers of my helmet.

"I thought we all do?" Sol points out, stowing some of our mission specific gear into the top shelf.

"He and I had a bet. I lose. I lost my temper while he kept his." I explain as our two teams step off the already overloaded pelicans to go help clear the base with the marines. But I suddenly drop with my gun levelled, causing everyone to drop, dive for cover or otherwise go on the offence. All because I noted a slight waver of active camouflage causing Thel's amused son to uncloak with his group of Sangheili and I lower my gun with a weary exhale.

"Shize man! We coulda shot you!" one of the marines complain as we all relax, coming out from behind our cover and we continue towards one another.

"The base is secure. There are no other criminals within." he explains and I bow my head lightly in acknowledgement.

"Or around it either." Maria's voice cuts in on an open channel, causing a triumphant whoop to go through both our troops while Thel's son and I just stand opposite one another, slightly smirking.

"Give my best to your father." I offer my hand to him and we lock our forearms.

"And yours." he states simply as we look at one another, holding the other's gauntlet for a moment before we release and turn to our troops and begin issuing the withdrawal orders.

"I still don't tru-" Sol begins to complain but I just smirk at him as we jog with the marines to a PZ.

"Aww are you jealous, Sol?" I halfheartedly tease him, knowing for a fact he has his own ideas of what may or may not be going on between The Arbiter's son and I.

"Because you get so tense. I might just have to do something about it." I purr over a private channel with him as he obviously picks up the pace to jog along beside me far more interestedly.

"Now none of that! Remember you can't do none of that till you two go talk with your parents, Ciel." Arthur teases making Solomon nearly trip over a root in shock, obviously wondering how Arthur heard us.

"You are moving just a little too... Interestedly with him and you two've been acting off for years now." he points out as I snicker.

"That's what happens when your dating someone, Arthur. Sol. You owe me drinks now too." I laugh as he groans.

"Damn it, Arth. Why the hell you gotta be so unobservant..." He complains as I laugh amused.

"Oh and like you noticed him and Maria before I pointed it out to you, Sol." I tease him and he looks at me with that tilt of his helmet that tells me I'm getting the 'promise of trouble later when we're alone' look from Sol as our jovial banter carries on all the way to the dropships while those outside our group are none the wiser to our conversations.

Upon arriving at the PZ my team and Arthur's secure the PZ before the other pelican's arrive and we wait until the marines and other UNSC troops have loaded before we follow.

I can't help but feel relieved and triumphant now that this conflict with the rebels is finally over as I sit down and strap in like my team as the ship heads back to the Infinity.

The promise of fruitful and many exciting years to come.  
Though, I have the feeling, they won't exactly be peaceful years. Just exciting.  
Especially when I tell my parents when we return home, the news Sol and I have...  
They're going to be grandparents. 

* * *

Well I hope everyone has enjoyed this storyline! Please leave your review!


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